A War of Teeth and Spears
by TheSurvivingComedian
Summary: I could tell myself this is all a bad dream, but that doesn't mean I'll wake up from it. Every day on this island is a nightmare. The only thing more dangerous than the roaming beats are the people who dare tame them. But regardless of what form life takes here, they all have one thing in common; they fight to survive. And me? I'm going to win that fight. I'll survive it all.
1. Chapter 1: Washed Up

**Chapter 1: Washed Up**

Day 1

The Western Coast

* * *

I woke up. Have you ever woken up from being unconscious? It sucks. It isn't like the gradual rise you get from actual sleep. In a few short moments, your body realizes it can function, realizes something's wrong, then blasts you with adrenaline, leading to a really fast and painful start. Your brain gets blasted with millions of signals all at once. I was hot, hurt all over, and covered in sand. The air was thick with the smell of salt, and my mouth was dry with the taste of it. My ears were ringing and I could hear a dull yet rhythmic roar in the distance. I opened my eyes and was blinded by how bright the sun was; not a single cloud to obstruct it's rays. If I wasn't in a dazed panic, I might have really enjoyed the location. I made an effort to sit up only to be hit with a wave of dizziness and lie back down. I just laid there for a while, trying to remember anything from before I woke up. I started drifting off again when a short growl shook me from my thoughts.

I propped myself up on my elbow to look up at whatever made the sound. Approaching me was some kind of large lizard. It had a short snout and walked on two legs like a theropod. It had a pair of colorful ridges on its head that became rows of short spines along its back to it's flat tail. Most notable, however, were two large flaps of skin on either side of its neck. The whole thing was about a meter tall and twice as long. We looked at each other curiously before its expression changed. It stood up a little taller, expanded the flaps to a full sail, and began to hiss.

This thing obviously looked like it was more bark than bite. I gave it an amused look. "Hey tough guy, you're not fooling any-"

I barely had time to finish my thought when it suddenly spat a stream of green slime in my face. An indescribable burning feeling assaulted my senses. My eyes stung and teared up, the stench was beyond foul and made me gag, and there are no words to describe the taste. I hadn't even fully registered what happened when pain erupted from my leg as it bit down.

"Motherfu-!" I kicked out and connected with the creature's head. Hard. It lost its grip and fell backwards. I scrambled to get up, pain shooting through my leg as I struggled. I could barely see, but I patted around for anything I could use to defend myself. My hand gripped a decent sized rock. I whipped around hard and... slapped it in the face with an open palm.

"Wha...?"

The lizard seemed just as stunned as I was because it spun around and stumbled a few steps. I took the advantage to get to my feet and wipe the sludge from my face. The creature shook off its dizziness and lunged for me again.

"Oh no you don't!" I wound up with my good leg and delivered a solid kick to it's abdomen. The force sent it airborne for a moment until it crashed against a rock with a resounding smack before finally lying still. I watched it cautiously for a minute. When I was sure it wasn't getting up I fell to my knees in the sand, clutching my leg to stop the bleeding. Only then did I notice a hearty, baritone laugh coming from behind me. I turned to see a dark-skinned old man bent over laughing. He was dressed in some sort of cloth shirt and pants and wore seemingly leather boots and gloves. He had a bow slung over one shoulder and a satchel over the other. I merely stared at the man while he got over whatever was funny.

"Hoo boy," he said, finally collecting himself. "That was the damn funniest reaction to a Dilo I've ever seen. First you go and eye each other, then he gets you while your tongue's flapping! Bet that tasted worse than a spoiled eel! And then-" his laughing picks up again, "ya go a smack the thing into next week!"

Meanwhile I am far from amused. "I'm glad you enjoyed. You normally like watching people fight for their lives?" I deadpanned.

He erupts into another fit of laughing and began to unsling his bow. "Hey, it's just like getting dinner and a show!" In one swift, precise movement, he cocks an arrow, aims, and let's it fly at me.

I throw my arms up to protect myself only for the shot to miss me completely. Instead the arrow lodges itself in the jaw of the now-conscious dilo that was going for another bite. It lets out a shrill yelp before collapsing in a bleeding heap on the sand.

"What the hell!? You could have hit me!" I yelled, despite the obvious favor he just did for me.

"Boy, you'll find that sometimes there's really not enough time to think through all your actions." He began to walk towards the corpse. "If you hesitate for a moment too long on this island," He snapped his fingers close to my face for emphasis and his voice became suddenly serious, "You'll die."

I shivered a little. If that fight had gone differently, or if it had walked up on me while I was still asleep, I really COULD have died.

"Oh don't look so grim, pal. That's just the way of the island." He pulled out a rope and began tying up the lizard. "The strong survive, and the weak... Well... Let's just say we don't manage the food chain around here, it manages us." He punctuated his words by tightening the knot. "But hey!" He said, his tone becoming jovial again, "It ain't so bad. Sometimes you come across something that puts a smile on your face. Like that little act just now."

I sat speechless. Was this island really that dangerous? This man has obviously been here a while if his age is any indicator. I thought about the new reality that was just dropped on me.

He slung the dilo over his shoulder and offered me a hand. "Ya know, you're looking a little worse for wear. I'll tell you what. For that little show you put on, I'll patch ya up and put some food in that belly o' yours."

I reached for his hand when I noticed something stuck to the bottom of my wrist. Or rather, on closer inspection, stuck INSIDE my wrist. I began to panic a little. "Oh my god. That's in my arm. Why is there a thing in my arm?!" It was a small, brown, diamond-shaped stone with a smaller yellow diamond set into it. I tried scratching at it when the man grabbed my arm.

"You don't want to mess with that, friend." He said, surprisingly calm. "Besides," he slid off his glove to reveal an identical stone imbedded in his wrist. "If these were harmful, I would know."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off as a shrill cry echoed from the nearby jungle. "I'm sure you're confused, everyone always is, but we aren't safe here." He pulled me up and helped me walk. "I'll take you somewhere safe. There, I can do a little bit more to quell that sea of questions."

As we began to walk, my vision began to darken and I was hit by another wave of dizziness. I wanted to open my mouth to say something but my mind wouldn't form the words. My victory was a bit more narrow than I thought. I'm pretty sure this stranger was practically carrying me now. A long nap sounded pretty good right now. Fatigue was coming on faster than I could stop it. For the second time today, I was out cold.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So since you're reading an Ark fanfic right now, CONGRATULATIONS! You're in the 1% of ark fans! I know Ark isn't a very popular fanfic target because... Well... It has no plot. Like, at all. So thank you for taking time to visit my little corner of the Internet. Let's have some fun, shall we?**

 **-TheSurvivingComedian**


	2. Chapter 2: Statistically Speaking

**Chapter 2: Statistically Speaking...**

Day 2

The Western Approach

* * *

I woke up. Peacefully, much to my relief. The bed I was laying on was scratchy and felt like it was made of tree bark and animal skin. I swung my legs over the side and took in my surroundings. The room I was in seemed to be constructed from a similar material, being more thatch and twigs than anything else. There was a small, wooden chest next to the bed with a set of cloth clothes neatly folded on top. They were a dull tan and seemed to be stitched together using plant fibers. As I began to get dressed I took a moment to look myself over. The dizziness was gone and there were clean bandages wrapped around where I was bitten. My hair still smelled like slime and I was hungry as hell but other than that I was fine. I opened the chest to examine its contents. Inside was a leather pouch filled with water and a tool of some sort. It had a short, wooden handle wrapped in fiber and a flat, triangular stone set in the tip, secured by more fiber. The stone had a sharp edge and seemed to be fit for both chopping or cleaving. I took a long drink from the waterskin and put the hatchet on my belt. A pair of leather-soled sandals waited by the door. I walked over and slipped them on. They were a little small but I didn't really know my shoe size anyway so I couldn't complain. I could hear muffled voices from beyond the door. I couldn't make out the words but I recognized the voice of the stranger. I decided now would be a good time to make it known I was awake.

I pushed open the door and stepped through. The room I entered was larger than the one I woke up in and was still constructed primarily from thatch. I noticed immediately that this one was actually missing a wall, revealing a view of the beach outside. Sitting at a table in the center of the room was the stranger. He was speaking to a small girl sitting across from him, and given the obvious pout on her face, not about something she enjoyed. She had messy blonde hair and tan skin. She wore a bland, sleeveless, cloth tunic that didn't cover scraped knees. Her feet were dirty and scratched like someone who preferred to be barefoot more often than not.

She noticed me standing in the doorway and launched out of her seat. "Joe look out!" She pulled a slingshot and stone out of her pockets and flung the rock at me.

The small projectile struck me in the throat. Despite the weak power behind it, I was still forced into a coughing fit.

The girl hopped up on to the table and lined up another shot. "Next one's going in your eye!"

I held up my hands in defense while trying to get a word out. Meanwhile the stranger was laughing once more. "Mira, calm down. This fella is a guest of mine."

Confusion spread across her face. "But you said-"

"I know what I told you," he said, cutting her off, "but he's a bit of a special case. He means us no harm. Besides, it's not very polite to stand on tables." He gestured to her stance.

Reluctantly, she climbed back down. She never lowered her arms, however. I think the daggers she was shooting me were more lethal weapons than the one in her hand.

The stranger looked between us before coming to a conclusion. "Mira, how about you go fill up the waterskins." He said, turning to her. "And check the dodo coop for eggs while you're at it."

She turned, surprised. "But-"

"Mira." His tone stern. "Now. It'll be fine, I just need to have a few words with our guest here."

She looked at him with worry, but lowered the slingshot. She crossed the room towards the missing wall and hopped off into the sand. She whipped around and stuck her tongue out at me before running off.

We both watched her go. The stranger chuckled to himself while I got back to my feet. "You just have the worst luck, don't ya?" He turned back to me and offered me a chair. "Sorry about Mira. She isn't the most trusting child."

I scoffed as I sat down. "Bit of an understatement if you ask me." I rubbed my newest injury, a now darkening bruise, when a thought hit me, "Wait should she be out by herself? Aren't there more of those lizards?"

He just chuckled again. He did that a lot. "She's a smart kid. Practically raised by the island. What she lacks in strength she makes up for in cunning." A proud look crossed his features. "Just like her m-" he paused, rethinking his words. "Anyway it seems I never properly introduced myself. My name is Jahova." He flashed a friendly smile and held out his hand. "But people call me Joe."

I reached forward to shake his hand when I noticed he was expecting a reply. "I'm... Uh..." I drew a blank. What was my name? Why didn't I know my own name? Panic began to set in as a dark realization hit me; I didn't know anything really. No name, no memories, nothing. My head began to swim as I wracked my brain for anything relevant. I flinched as Joe snapped his fingers.

"You ok boy? Your pale as a sheet. I mean you're already pretty pale but now you're getting scary." He looked at me with concern, yet it seemed like he knew exactly what was wrong. "You don't know, do you? Your name, or anything at all, huh? As far as you're aware, your life didn't start til you woke up. Am I wrong?"

I blinked. He guessed it perfectly. How could he have figured it out that fast? I didn't have a head injury on the beach, so it couldn't seem like trauma. And even then what kind of concussion could fully wipe my mind without even an echo remaining?

My expression must have been confirmation enough, as he sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Just as I thought, another new one." He ran his hand through his white-grey beard and mumbled a few things I could slightly make out, "...been too long... this rate... population decline... not much choice... gotta return early..." I patiently waited for him to explain, but he seemed very invested in his train of thought. That is, until a sudden thump derailed that train.

Mira had tossed a basket onto the table. It surprised me too, I hadn't even heard her return, let alone enter the room. She smiled at Joe "I even cleaned the coop while I was out. Think we can have the special breakfast this morning?" She practically beamed at him with a pleading look in her eyes.

He considered it for a moment before surrendering. "Alright, alright. Just don't give me those eyes."

"Yes!" She threw up her arms and jumped around in excitement. "It's been forever since we last had it! I can't wait-"

Joe took the opportunity to lunge forward and grab her by her now wide-open armpits, pulling her into a tickle trap. "What did I say about letting your guard down?" He said over Mira's laughter. "Even when you think you've won, the enemy can always pull out a trick." She pulled her arms in and bent over to get away from his grasp, but it still left her sides exposed. Joe shifted himself so he could take full advantage of that.

"Stopitstopitstopit!" Mira was full on howling laughing at this point. "It won't happen again I promise!" She threw herself onto the floor to escape, only to give Joe a good angle to tickle her feet. By now both of them were in stitches over themselves.

Their happiness was getting contagious,and I couldn't help but crack a smile. Despite my situation, seeing them in such a jovial state was strangely uplifting. Soon even I was chuckling at their antics. After a good minute of it, I spoke up "The tough girl act really just melts away, doesn't it?"

Only then did Mira seem to remember I was there. She rolled quickly, pulling her leg out from Joe's grasp. She hopped up, dusting herself off, stone-faced and defensive once again. "I'll go get the fire going." She said, her tone short and business like. She ran back outside and around the hut.

I looked back towards Joe apologetically, "Sorry. Didn't mean to ruin the mood."

He just waved his hand at me while he got his laughs out. "Don't worry about it boy. She's just a bit too proud. She acts all tough when really she's just hiding that big heart of hers."

"Not true!" Mira yelled from around the house, inciting a laugh from the both of us.

He turned back to me, "Joking aside, how's about we get that breakfast going?"

My stomach grumbled in response to the idea of food. "Yes. Please. Absolutely. Food sounds amazing."

He stood up and headed for the opening. He stopped and turned back, "Let's hope you ain't a picky eater. After all, dilos have some of the stringiest meat on the island."

* * *

On the outside, the hut wasn't that impressive. The whole thing was made from a white thatch supported on a wood frame. It looked like a strong wind could blow it over. It was still unfinished, if the missing wall was any indication. There were only 4 rooms; 2 bedrooms, a closet, and the sitting room we met in. It was still on the beach, but was closer to the tree line than the water. Off to the side was a smaller hut surrounded by a small pen. Walking about inside were several small, round birds. They had rather diminutive wings, definitely unusable for flight, seemingly preferring to wander about on stout legs. They had a sizable beak, taking up the majority of the head, looking more adapted to picking berries and seeds off low bushes than eating live prey. They squawked often, but it didn't seem like there was much purpose to the action. Frankly there didn't seem to be a lot of purpose to these birds. They'd be easy prey to one of the lizards, or any other carnivorous creature really. Dotting the sand were a few white and brown speckled eggs. I supposed if they breed often enough, then their population could be maintained. Still, it's a rather ill-adapted looking creature.

I sat at another table around the back of the hut where a few more utilities were present. Against the wall was a brown box emitting steam, probably for storing food. In the center of the clearing was a burning campfire, over which a pot was suspended by a tripod. Joe was busy at the end of the table preparing the meat and eggs while Mira had gone off to collect berries to go with the meal. Occasionally, Joe would raise his arm and stare into the stone in his wrist for a few moments. Each time he did it would glow faintly. After which he would look away and pull out a different utensil or the next ingredient.

I examined the stone in my own wrist, trying to figure out what he was doing. I leaned in to get a better look at it when a blue light shined from the center of the stone directly into my eyes. I recoiled more out of surprise than pain. I blinked spots from my eyes as my vision cleared.

"We call them implants." Joe said. He had all the ingredients in the pot, ready to eat when Mira got back. "They take some getting used to."

I scoffed at that. "To be honest, it'll take me a while to get used to any of this." I looked back at the implant. I tried angling it, tapping it, and shaking my arm to get it to shine again, but no luck. "I mean really, what's the point of having a glorified laser pointer stuck in your arm?"

Joe rounded the table and sat next to me. "Here, like this:" He held his arm out from his face with the implant square with his eyes. The stone lit up once again. "It's triggered by holding it in a certain position."

I did my best to mimic his movements and, sure enough, I was greeted by another blast of light to my eyes. "Dammit! What's the point of that?" I rubbed more spots from my eyes. Strange, they were the same pattern as the last ones.

"You can't flinch from it," Joe instructed. "The key is to stare into it. Let it do its thing."

"You're either being really helpful, or me looking like an idiot is funnier than you let on." I deadpanned, inciting a laugh.

"If we're being honest, it's pretty much makes my day so far." He replied with a grin.

I simply rolled my eyes as I brought my wrist up to them again. This time when it lit up, I didn't look away. Numbers and symbols danced before my eyes until they came into focus. Whatever this thing was, it was projecting light in a way that I could read information coming from it.

"We call it the 'Inventory.' A sort of summary of your body and it's possessions." Joe explained. "It's controlled by both thought and input from the eyes." He tapped his temple then twirled his wrist. "Try looking around a little, get a feel for it."

"Is it possible to be impressed, terrified, and hungry at the same time? Because that's me right now." I glanced around the interface. Taking up the left side was a large box with 2 icons inside. The first appeared to be a picture of the implant. The second was a rock. I stared at the implant icon for a second and a description popped up:

Specimen ID: 000165894

Species: Human

Vernacular ID: To Be Determined

Survival Quotient: To Be Determined

Specimen? Survival Quotient? What am I, a test subject? The looked at the rock instead. After a second it prompted me with "move item" and "drop item." I selected the latter option. A moment after I hit the button, the stone materialized in front of me and landed on the table. It looked exactly like the rock I would have hit the lizard with.

"From what we've been able to figure out, the implant is a form of compressed space that the user can deposit and withdraw from at any time." Joe went on. "While things stored in this space are somewhat lightened, they still put stress on your body. Thankfully, through means unknown, this stress is evenly distributed across your body, rather than focused in the wrist."

To say I was confused would be an understatement. How was such an advanced device even able to function without power? Unless it sapped my own energy, which was a scary prospect. Who made this? And more importantly, why did everyone have one? I really must be wearing my emotions on my sleeve because Joe spoke up again.

"I see that look. You may want to just take these things at face value for now. Questions are good, they keep your mind going, just don't overwhelm yourself. Believe me, in my experience, sometimes it's better to simply accept something and move forward." He got some plates from a nearby counter top and set them out on the table. "After all, who has time for an existential crisis on _this_ island?" He chuckled, but it was a hollow laugh.

He stared into the pot for a while. I brought up the interface again and looked elsewhere. In the center was a picture of me. Man, I looked like crap. I was dirty, sweaty, and I had noticeable bruises here and there. I was thin, but not scrawny. I was notably pale, like Joe said, but I had a feeling that would change with time. My hair was a reddish-brown, almost cinnamon color with a massive case of bed head. At least I have hair, for all I know I could have been stuck with a buzz cut. My clothes fit me rather well, if slightly baggy. Overall I just looked beat up and dirty. I couldn't complain though. If I got cleaned up right I could almost pass as attractive.

My eyes wandered to the right side of the interface. It was dominated by a bunch of numbers and statistics. It was labeled "Statuses" and had several categories with fractions next to them. Some read 100/100, others were at 0, some were in between, and some were a percentage. "Hey Joe?"

He shook himself from his thoughts. "Yeah boy?"

I gestured with my free hand. "On the right side here, there's a bunch of numbers labeled statuses. What do these mean?"

He sat down in his chair with a sigh. He almost seemed tired already. He made a line with his hand as high as he could reach for a visual. "Pay attention, 'cause I don't like repeating myself. The upper portion displays situational information such as the time of day, how many days you've spent alive, general region name, ambient temperature, etc." He lowered his hand a bit, and again with each category. "The lower portion denotes your current physical statistics over what your optimal state can be. First off, you've got the obvious; health. This denotes basically how close you are to death, with the denominator being the peak of health, and the numerator being your actual wellbeing. You'll want to keep an eye on that one. Next you have stamina. That one basically explains itself but in case you don't get it, it's how tired you are. The next three are nothing more than fancy ways of handling your basic needs of air, food, and water. Keep those topped off and you'll be golden." He stopped to take a bit of a breather. They way he explained it made it seem almost practiced. Almost like he's had to explain it several times already. "Aside from the situational stuff and health, I don't think you'll be checking the others very often. I mean, do you really need a lightbulb to tell you that your getting tired or hungry? Anyway, below that gets a bit more complicated. First you've got weight, which is basically the amount of stress the implant is putting on your body. The higher that number, the harder it'll be to move. After that you have two percentage values; melee damage and movement speed. Obviously those denote how much damage you do and how fast you move, respectively. From what we can guess, those values are set at 100% upon awakening and rise or fall based on how you develop. Really gives new perspective on fight or flight instinct, huh?" He smiled at his own joke. "Below that is a number called fortitude. In a nutshell, that describes how resistant you are to superficial elements such as hot or cold temperatures or things like poison. Finally you've got a little percentage called crafting speed. This more or less just rates how fast you are with your hands, basic dexterity really." He let out a breath, finishing his explanation. "Got all that?"

I nodded slowly. He threw a lot of information my way all at once, but I think I got the gist of them. "I guess this makes getting in shape a lot simpler." I joked. Before my humor got him to at least smile, but now he just seemed down. "Is something the matter? You seem... Tired."

He waved at my concern. "Just getting a bit old is all. Really starting to feel it." He looked up at the tree line. "It looks like Mira is back. Shall we dig in?"

Despite the obvious question dodging, actually eating seemed more important. Mira dropped the basket full of a multitude of berries on the table with a smile as Joe passed out helpings of a meat-filled omelet. The unspoken decision was made: food now, more explanation later.

We ate in relative silence, both Joe and I lost in our own thoughts. My mind swam with questions and conflicting emotions. Joe explained a lot in a short time. The implant seemed impossible yet here it was. I opened my mouth to ask another question when Mira spoke up.

"You didn't make it right." She poked the meal in front of her.

Joe looked at her with a smile. "What do you mean? This is how we always make it."

She pulled a chunk of meat apart and scrunched up her nose. "The meat isn't right. It's too stringy." She crossed her arms and pouted. "And we always have savaroot with it. You know, the kind that's in little bits and brown?"

Joe thought for a moment before realizing his mistake. "You're absolutely right pumpkin." He set down his fork. "Before I made it with phiomia meat and fried some diced savaroot in the fats."

Mira perked up. "Yeah yeah! That! Let's make that today!" She beamed at him again. If she hadn't attacked me on sight this morning, I would have considered the display adorable.

"Mira, you know it's-" Joe started, but paused. He turned to me as he mulled over a thought. "Actually, this might be a good opportunity for our guest here to learn a few things." He smiled at his conclusion. "After all, you have to earn your keep somehow."

I was unsure what he implied. Obviously I was in debt to Joe for giving me food and shelter, so It was unsurprising to hear I would need to do something for him.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Today," Joe grinned, "we're going hunting."

* * *

When we finished eating, Joe told Mira to go play. Mira pouted in response.

"I'm tough! I can can come too! I can even beat up that guy" She pointed a finger at me and tried to stand taller. She may have been a good shot with a slingshot, but I doubt she could handle an actual weapon.

Joe chuckled at the display. "I bet you could pumpkin. But I have a more important job for you." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a leather book. It was filled to the brim with pages at looked like it had seen better days. He flipped through it until he found a picture of a black berry. He knelt down and showed her. "I need you to collect as many of these as you can. Three basket-fills at least. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Mira deflated a little bit but seemed eager to help. "The sleepy-time berries, right?" She asked as she examined the drawing. "Why do we need so many?"

Joe closed the book and placed it back in his bag. "We can use them to trade for some savaroot."

Mira lit up once again. "Does that mean we're going to visit Mrs. Ellen?" She was practically radiating excitement.

"Yes, we'll be popping over to her tavern tomorrow." He explained. "I'm afraid today isn't a good day to head to town so we won't be able to make the special breakfast until tomorrow. Is that alright?" He put on an apologetic smile.

Mira's excitement faded a bit. "Is it because the bad men are there?"

Joe sighed "Yes, the bad men are there. They leave for a hunt later tonight though so we should be finetomorrow."

I listened to the exchange. This was the first time they had mentioned other people. The idea of a town seemed promising, but it sounds like these "bad men" were quite the deterrent.

"I have to get ready to head out," Joe said, standing up. "Why don't you go get your forest kit ready to go? We'll meet you back at the house come dinner time, alright?"

Mira flashed a smile and a thumbs up before running into the hut. Joe turned to me. "And as for you, we'll be out for a few hours. Go fill your waterskin while I get my gear together." As he walked off he called back "Don't worry about how clean the water is, it's not gonna kill you."

"That's comforting." I walked down to the shore. The beach was littered with driftwood and small stones, but otherwise was clear. I unhooked the pouch from my belt and dipped it onto the water. It astounded me just how clear the brilliant blue water was; I could see right through it. Schools of fish darted about in rhythm with the waves. Further out, some more birds floated lazily on the waves. Unlike the dodos, these birds had long, thin wings, likely to catch the constant sea breeze rather than provide much lift. The beaks of these birds were narrow and probably used for fishing.

I watched the ocean for a while when suddenly the flock took off from the water. The calmness was shattered as a massive creature erupted out of the water. It's gaping maw gleaned with rows of teeth as it lunged at the flock. One unfortunate bird didn't get out of the way in time and the creature closed its jaw over it. With a thrash of its tail, it disappeared back beneath the waves. I was shocked by how fast it was; over as soon as it started. I shuddered and walked back towards the hut. "Holy shit... Where the fuck am I..."

Joe walked out of the hut with his bow slung over his shoulder. He looked up and noticed me clutching my waterskin. "What's the matter? Water too cold for you?"

I just shook my head and waved it off. "I am never going swimming."

Joe tilted his head in confusion before realization hit him. "Oh! Yeah, there's a few nasty things down there." He smiled. "Make sure you show some respect to fishermen. They deal with those for a living."

He had to be kidding. No sane person would do that. Then again, maybe the alternative was even worse. I pushed the thought out of my mind. No need to panic over what I don't know. I decided to change the subject. "So what are we going to be hunting anyway?"

"It's called a phiomia." He began walking towards the dodo coop and I fell into step behind him. "It's a decent sized mammal, docile too. They spook easily though, so I'll be the one shooting. You just hang back and keep Trailblazer from wandering off."

I tilted my head in confusion. "Trailblazer?"

To answer my question, Joe raised two fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle. Movement could be heard from behind the dodo hut as a tall creature stood up. It trotted up to Joe obediently. It walked on two legs like the dilo, but was easily triple the size. It had a longer neck with an angular head that extended upwards with a large crest. Running the length its back was a short fin that ended with the tail. It's mouth was flat and and it let out a hollow, airy call that seemed to echo across the beach. It turned to look at me and I flinched.

"Aww don't be shy. Trailblazer here is a Parasaur; he prefers berries." He waved me over to it.

I walked up to it cautiously. It kept its eyes on me, yet made no move to react.

"Go ahead! He doesn't bite!" Joe insisted.

I hesitated a bit, but reached out and placed a hand on its side. It's skin was cool and leathery. I watched for a reaction from it. It seemed to be considering me for a minute before taking a step back. It leaned down and nudged my arm with its head. I ran my hand down the side of its neck until it leaned into it suddenly.

Joe grinned. "I think you found his sweet spot."

I scratched the area in question and soon enough Trailblazer was arcing his neck so I could scratch more. It was amazing, really. On closer inspection, this creature seemed very lizard-like, yet almost showed intelligence. Not on the level of being sentient, but more akin to that of a pet or companion.

Joe walked to the other side and draped a bag over Trailblazers back. "Amazing creatures, aren't they? The island is full of dinos, large and small. Some majestic, others terrifying. They give the island both its life and its perils. I've spent my whole life studying them, and yet they always find ways to surprise me." He secured the bag in place.

"How is it that this one listens to you?" I asked, still scratching Trailblazer.

"Many people consider dinos to be little more than beasts. Savage creatures roaming the island, looking for their next meal. If one took a much closer look, they'd see there's so much more." He reached into his bag and pulled out a bushel of berries. He held them out to Trailblazer who pulled away from me to eat from his palm. "All things on this island fight to survive, however several people realized that it's easier to survive when you have help. So these people found ways to form bonds with dinos, work with them, benefit from them. Many dinos work with humans simply because we can provide them shelter and food, like Trailblazer here. Other dinos work with humans out of mutual benefit from things like shared food sources or protection from predators. And rarely, if a survivor is strong enough, they can show dominance over a dino, and command them out of respect." He paused, then added. "Or fear."

I was captivated. From the sound of it, this was a common practice among people. Living with dinos would definitely have its uses. Supposedly there was an immense variety of them as well, so the possibilities would be huge. "Amazing...You said there were a lot more dinos, right? Like what?"

Joe smiled at my interest. "Oh words alone fail to do them justice. There are ones taller than the trees that gently graze the canopy, winged ones that navigate the airways with unmatched grace, plant eaters that collect in herds as far as the eye can see, meat eaters with a bite strong enough to smash stone..." He trailed off. "Aww heck, you're funny _and_ you listen as old men ramble. You're gonna do fine." He gave me a hearty grin that I couldn't help but return. Despite everything, I couldn't help but feel confident. Joe walked up towards to tree line. "Enough chit-chat! We're burning daylight!"

I took hold of Trailblazer's lead and followed him into the forest.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **How was that? Was that ok? Am I doing well? Has Senpai noticed me yet? These are the questions that plague authors everywhere. Probably.**

 **What's that editor? I'm 2 chapters in and I still haven't named my protagonist? Is that bad? Aw who cares anyway?**

 **Edit: Probably all of you.**

 **Shhhh...**

 **Anyway, look at that magnificent reasoning that seamlessly explains away core game mechanics! Rejoice in the lack of dues ex machina in my story! YEAH!**

 **Ahem.**

 **Jokes and humble brags aside, I want to stay true to the actual game as much as possible. I won't throw in crossovers or (with some exceptions) any unrealistic content. Also if it isn't already clear, I'm throwing in a lot of visual and heavily descriptive scenes to both give a better image for readers who haven't played ark and also give a deeper look for the readers who have.**

 **Geeze, I hope I don't become one of those people who write big authors notes only for no one to read them.**

 **That would suck.**

 **As always, try to have a good laugh today.**

 **-TheSurvivingComedian**


	3. Chapter 3: Fight or Flight Part 1

**Chapter 3: Fight or Flight Part 1**

Day 2

The Western Approach

* * *

We hiked north, parallel to the beach, until the trees thinned out to a clearing. Several boulders dotted the field, causing us to weave a path across. Cutting through the open space was a flowing river, with one direction going out to sea and the other flowing over a series of waterfalls up the hill.

"The water pools at an area upstream. It's a prime water hole for herds in the area." Joe pointed out. "It's also prime hunting grounds, so stay sharp."

I tightened my grip on Trailblazer's lead. "Hunting grounds for what?"

"Oh, all sorts of things. Some smaller carnivores might pick off stragglers, or maybe a larger one may wander in for a drink, only to catch an easy meal. Don't worry though, most do their hunting in the small hours of the morning. We should be fine." Joe said, dismissing my growing concern.

We continued upriver for a while until we reached a cliff where the water poured down from. Just near the base of the waterfall were several creatures that had stopped for a drink. First creature I saw was gliding smoothly across the surface of the water. It was a bird, yet it had rather stubby wings. It had a long neck compared to its narrow body with a beak filled with teeth. It dipped under the water and emerged with a fish caught in its mouth.

Joe turned his attention to the bird. "Would you look at that, a Hesperornis. They aren't very common, given their place in the food chain." He made his way towards the cliff face. "I'm going to look for a path up and around. See if you can find any large eggs." With that, he dashed into the tree line with a speed i didn't expect from someone his age.

I led Trailblazer to the water for a drink. I unhooked my waterskin from my belt and gulped down its contents. As I bent down to refill it I glanced at some of the other creatures here. There were a few parasaurs, but a few I didn't recognize. The first was a small, four-legged lizard. It was very stout, with its legs being rather low to the ground, a short tail, and a flat muzzle. It seemed to be socializing with others of its kind.

I wondered around the pool looking for a nest. "Not sure if raiding a random nest is a good idea..." I muttered to myself. I mean really, what self-respecting parent would stand by and let their nest be plundered? As I climbed over some more rocks, a loud chitter passed through the air. At first I thought that I had just knocked some pebbles loose, but all the dinos around the pool lifted their heads on alert. I looked about for whatever the source was, but saw no new arrival. I waited quietly, and sure enough, I heard it again. This time, however, the nearby dinos turned and dispersed from the water, leaving only Trailblazer and I.

I tensed up and began backing towards Trailblazer. "Hey Joe?" I called out. "Tell me that's you." I had a sinking feeling in my gut that Joe was nowhere near. "I know I'm a funny guy and all, but this joke's kinda unnecessary." I made my way through the rocks. It was eerily quiet, other than the dull roar of the waterfall. I chuckled nervously. "In fact, you could say it's _H2Overkill_ -"

My joke was cut off as a large stinger pierces the air inches in front of me. I recoil back several steps as a large insect climbs over the rock I was circling. It had four sets of legs, a flat body, and a pair of intimidating pincers at its front. What really drew my eye was its coiled tail with a stinger at the tip. The thing was the size of a dinner table and made a loud clacking sound as it moved.

Shit.

I backed up quickly only to bump into another boulder. The scorpion scuttled towards me at terrifying speed. It raised its tail and tried to spear me again. I ducked to the side and stinger scraped across the rock. I lost my footing on the uneven stones and tumbled to the ground. I tried to scramble away but it clamped a pincer over my bad ankle.

"AAAHH fuck!" I screamed in pain as the wound reopened. I struggled against the vice but the pain was excruciating. I watched, terrified, as its tail raised once again. I curled up and braced myself. It wouldn't miss this time.

A whirring sound cut through as a bundle of stones roped together sailed at the insect. The ropes tangled themselves around the tail making it unable to strike. The scorpion turned to its new assailants only for an arrow to impact its eye. With a pained chitter, the insect released my leg. Now without an effective killing method, it fled into the tree line.

I clutched my bleeding ankle and looked to my savior. Joe stood at the top of the waterfall with an arrow cocked in his bow. After he was satisfied the scorpion had left, he looked at me. "You really are an unlucky fella, aren't you?" He put down his bow and pulled out a rope. After tying it around a nearby rock, he tossed the rest over the cliff. He shimmied down the rope and ran over to me. I sat up against a rock as he came over.

"Alright, let's see what the damage is." He pulled of my old bandages and winced. "Oh boy. Before this would have healed nicely, but now it'll probably leave a nasty scar." He opened his satchel and pulled out some fresh bandages and a red fluid in a bottle. He picked up a small stick and held it to me. "You may want to bite this." He instructed.

I didn't like where this was going. "Why?"

His answer was to pour the red liquid into the wound. I screamed in pain as a burning feeling courses through my leg. "Don't be such a baby, you're lucky it didn't sting you." He rubs it in and I scream louder, startling birds out of nearby trees. By the time he's done wrapping the new bandage, my throat is sore. He ties off the knot and let's me catch my breath. "Damn, boy. Let's hope that didn't scare off every dang dino around." He hands me my waterskin.

I greedily gulp down its contents before speaking. "A little warning next time. Ya know, before you rub liquid fire on me?"

Joe just smiled and held up the bottle. "Medical brew. Best healing salve this side of the island." He stood up. "In fact, you should be able to walk still."

Using the rock as support, I shakily rose to my feet. I tried putting pressure on my leg to find it was only mildly sore. I looked at Joe in shock. "How is that possible?"

Joe smiled again. "Homemade recipe. You won't find that anywhere else. I'm a doctor by trade, you know."

"You could have fooled me. You seem better with a bow."

Joe waved that off. "I just know what makes dinos tick and aim accordingly. Beyond that, it's really just luck." He whistled into the trees and Trailblazer came trotting out from his hiding place. "Come on, we've got a ways to walk still."

I glared at our companion as it approached. "Some help you were." Trailblazer merely snorted and walked beside me. I leaned on him for support while we followed Joe around the cliff.

* * *

We set up within one of the many clusters of boulders by the riverbed. We were still a ways off from the water hole, but Joe said that getting any closer would be risky. "Any closer and we'll be in Scale territory." I asked him what a Scale was. He shook his head. "Boy, I hope you never find out."

We were next to a valley that cut through the hill. A frequently traveled path for dinos. With any luck, a phiomia will pass through. Joe was on lookout while I sat next to Trailblazer. I absentmindedly watched the water in the stream. Across the stream, one of the four-legged creatures was walking about. I watched it quietly when I noticed the bushes behind it moving. I sat up when a dilo poked its head out, eyes trained on the stout lizard. I picked up a stick and hurled it across the river where it landed between the two. The dilo yelped, breaking its element of surprise. The four-legged one noticed it and scurried away before the dilo could strike. The dilo hissed at me then retreated back into the foliage.

Joe watched curiously. "Why'd you do that?"

"What do you mean?"

He gestured across the river. "You saved the lystro. Why?"

"The thing was just minding its own business. It didn't deserve what would have happened."

Joe turned back to watching to lake. "Deserved or not, that's the natural order. The strong survive and the weak..." He trailed off. A dull rumble echoed through the valley. A herd of large, four-legged dinos were walking through. These were more bulky and heavy-set; by far the largest thing yet. It's head was built like a large shield, with spikes lining the ridge and three more sticking out from the face. They lumbered towards the watering hole and spread out to drink. Joe sighed and put down his bow. He reached into his satchel and pulled out the book and several stencils. He flipped through it until he found a page with a half-drawn picture of the creatures in front of us. I squinted to read the label on it.

"Triceratops?"

Joe grunted in response without looking up. He began sketching the beasts intently.

I got up to get a better look at the drawing. What he had already was exceptionally detailed right down to the texture of the skin. To the side of it were notes and diagrams listing information on its behavior and speculation on its usefulness for domestication. "What's this for?"

Joe jumped a little and snapped the book closed. "It's impolite to read over someone's shoulder." I raised my hands in apology and he sighed. "One could consider it a project of mine. One that's taken a very long time to put together." He seemed content to leave it there so I didn't push further.

I began thinking about the past day. While I could wrap my head around most of what Joe told me, a few questions still surfaced in my mind. "Joe?"

He didn't look up from his book, but grunted in acknowledgement.

"Do you... Know what happened to me?" I tentatively asked. "The way you've been explaining things... It's almost seems practiced. Like you've said this all before."

Joe was silent for a while. So long in fact that I thought he hadn't heard me. I opened my mouth to repeat myself when he turned back to me. He suddenly seemed very tired. "You're right. I have said these things before. Many times." His tone turned serious. "You are not the first person to wash up on these shores."

I was really confused. "And they all...?"

"No one ever has any memory of their past. They wake up, meet the island, and join the fight for survival. You're lucky I found you when I did. Some people never make it off the beach." He leaned back against the rock. "Some people group with others to brave the islands dangers. They settle down, make a tribe, and live their lives. Others strike out alone, trying to find their own way to get from day to day."

"How did you get here then?" I asked. "You act like you've been here forever."

He was silent for a while. "It wasn't too different from your situation, really. It just happened a long, long while ago."

"So did you find others to live with? I mean you've mentioned a town, why not live there?"

He considered his words for a bit. "Some people are... Not everyone agrees with each other on how people should live together. These disagreements are why there's more than one tribe on the island. And in a world like this, politics can be... bloody."

I was dumbfounded. "Why? Fighting would just make the island even more dangerous."

"That's just it. So much about this island doesn't make sense. Therefore many people try to make their own sense of it, and live accordingly." His face darkened a bit. "Some people thrive in this chaos." He turned back to me. "Some of the most dangerous beasts on the island look just like us."

I shivered at that. "So what kind of person are you?"

He thought about that for a second. "Boy, I'm just an old man who has seen too much of this island." He looked back towards the lake and perked up. "Hey, look alive! We got something." He pointed at something walking out of the valley.

I looked over to see two fat, four-legged mammals wander into the clearing. They were short, only about a meter and a half and just as wide. It had a short trunk with two small tusks on either side. They sniffed the ground as they walked, likely looking for food.

"Alright, here we go." Joe pulled out another bundle of stones to throw. He leaned back but paused. He looked to me. "Why don't you give it a go? They won't notice unless the bola actually gets one of them." He handed me the bola.

It was kinda exciting. This thing was pretty effective at stopping the scorpion, who knew what it would do to a phiomia. I twirled the ropes in my hand a few times to get it spinning before letting it fly at the unsuspecting pigs. My aim was awful though and it hooked around a bush snapping the branches.

"Maybe you're more of an up-close-and-personal kind of hunter." Joe said, handing me another bola. I wound up again only for Joe to suddenly yank me down from the rock.

"What-" He clamped a hand over my mouth and lifted a finger to his lips to shush me. I nodded quietly and he removed his hand. He turned and pointed to a spot in the tree line.

I slowly peaked over the rock to see a new creature approaching from the tree line. It reminded me of a dilo, only much larger; just shy of a parasaur in size. It had a large claw on each foot and crept forward on powerful legs. It had patches of feathers on its elbows and head, as well as the tip of its tail. Strangely enough, it's feathers were bright orange. Despite its obvious attempts at stealth, it stuck out like a sore thumb against the green foliage.

"Raptor." Joe breathed. "There's never just one."

Trailblazer crept up to us nervously. He looked ready to bolt at any second. I reached over and scratched his neck to keep him calm. He settled a bit, but was obviously still tense. I kept watching the raptor, but Joe was eyeing the tree line. Probably looking for others.

The predator gradually stalked towards the phiomia. As it closed in, however, a twig snapped beneath its feet. The raptor froze, looking down at his error. The phiomias turned and noticed him instantly. One let out a squeal and ran towards the triceratops. Suddenly, the bushes came alive as several more raptors burst from the forest. Trailblazer recoiled in fear and made a move to run. I yanked hard on his lead and placed a hand over his muzzle to keep him quiet. The group raced past their frozen pack mate and pursued the phiomia. The lead one caught up quickly and began harassing the slower pig. The fleeing creature turned away only to become caught amidst some boulders. It turned to back out only for the lizard to pounce upon it, tearing into it with its claw. The pig squealed in pain and thrashed, throwing off its attacker. It's efforts were in vain, however, as the rest of the pack descended on the wounded creature. With frightening efficiency, they tore into their prey, ripping it apart. Within seconds, the phiomia lay still. The pack then began to gorge themselves on their fresh kill.

I looked back towards the orange-feathered raptor. He hadn't moved since he alerted the phiomias. After the pack had feasted for a while, he crept over to try and get a share. The raptor who made the kill noticed his approach and snarled. The orange-feathered one recoiled from what I guessed was their leader. The orange one made another attempt only for the alpha to turn and snap at him. The rest of the pack stopped eating to watch the exchange. The leader snarled and grunted at the orange one, denying him a share of the meal. The orange one grunted in defiance only to back off quickly as the rest of the pack moved to defend the alpha. The noise attracted the attention of several triceratops. Seeing the threatening actions, they moved to defend their pack. The large beasts grunted and raked their feet across the ground, threatening to charge. The raptors took the hint and broke up, heading into the woods. The orange one made a move to follow, but the alpha barked at it again, making it clear it shouldn't follow. The raptor waited until the pack had disappeared before moving. It looked around, unsure of what to do. The triceratops grunted at it, indicating it could not stay. It turned away from the lake and began to walk downstream.

My heartbeat spiked. It was going to walk right past us. Joe lowered himself to the ground and motioned for me to do the same. We lied flat on the ground and waited. Trailblazer tensed up and tried to stand. I held fast to its lead, but it struggled against me. I held on and waited for the predator to pass. The lizard walked passed the rock into view and stopped. All three of us froze. I didn't even dare to breathe. It sniffed the air for a moment before turning towards us. Trailblazer finally lost it and shot up. It stood at its full height and let out a loud cry of alarm. The raptor recoils and jumps back. Joe hopped up and began yelling at the lizard while flailing his arms about, trying to add to the scare. The raptor yelps in surprise before turning and darting into the woods.

Trailblazer is flailing in a wild panic. I reach up and stroke its neck, trying to calm it again. "Hey, hey! It's ok, it's gone. You're alright." Trailblazer was having none of it and made to run off. My arm was wrapped in his lead and he ended up pulling me with him. He weaved and dodged around boulders as he dragged me downstream. I struggled to keep up, but the creature was quickly outpacing me. One wrong step and he would be dragging me across the ground. Over our footsteps I could hear a dull roar. I looked ahead and saw that the waterfall was coming up. And Trailblazer wasn't slowing down.

Shit.

Trailblazer was running blindly. I yanked on the lead. "Hey! Stop! Slow down! Just... Wait a second! Goddammit LISTEN to me!" I lifted my free hand to my mouth and tried to imitate the whistle Joe used. At first I just made a flat tone. I flexed my tongue and made it slightly more noticeable. Trailblazer slowed down and looked at me. I reached out and grabbed ahold of his straps to pull him to a stop. We skidded to a halt just steps away from the cliff.

Once we were stopped I collapsed on the ground to catch my breath. My chest was on fire. We had easily just sprinted at least half a kilometer. I crawled over to the river and took a good, long drink. The water was cool and felt good running down my parched throat. I splashed some on my face and washed the sweat and dirt away. I unraveled the lead from my arm, revealing a bad case of rope burn crisscrossing my wrist. My gaze fell on my implant and I figured now would be a good time to check my stats. I leaned back against a rock lifted my arm. The implant sparked to life and light danced across my eyes again. I still had the urge to blink or flinch, but I forced the instinct down. I silently read off my stats.

Health: 73.5 / 110; Slowly increasing.

Stamina: 15.3 / 110; Also increasing.

Oxygen: 88.7 / 100; This actually seemed to fluctuate with my breathing.

Food: 54.1 / 100; I guess I was kinda hungry...

Water: 99.8 / 100; I just drank water.

Weight: 4.8 / 100; I didn't actually know what unit of measurement this was. I guess my clothes, the one stone, a bola, my hatchet, and my waterskin... Amount to 4.8 whatevers. Ha, 'whatevers,' the new scientific measurement.

Melee Damage: 105%; I guess I've been working out?

Movement Speed: 110%; If someone asks me to give 110% on something, man will I have a joke ready.

Fortitude: 0.0; A stellar improvement there.

Crafting Speed: 100%; I guess I'm not an 'arts and crafts' kind of guy.

I put my arm down and blinked away spots in my vision. Trailblazer lied down next to me and I rested my arm over him. I closed my eyes to get a quick rest while waiting for Joe.

Several minutes later I opened my eyes at the sound of footsteps. Joe stood over me with an amused look on his face. "Enjoy the trip?"

"Oh you bet." I said, practically oozing sarcasm. "I'm the best dino whisperer this island's ever seen."

He chuckled. "What'd you do? Smack into a rock and become a human anchor?"

"I did the little whistle thing. You know, the thing you do to make him listen to you."

Joe's eyebrows shot up. "You used a command whistle? On Trailblazer?"

"Yeah. Is that bad? I mean if I hadn't we would have gone clear off that ledge."

He smiled. "No, no, I'm just impressed. First off, dinos only listen when you gain their trust or loyalty. Meaning you must have made a really good impression with Trailblazer here. Secondly, there's around nine different command whistles. How did you know which one was stop?"

I paused. I had totally guessed. I posed dramatically. "I guess I'm just that good with handling dinos."

"Boy. You're full of shit."

We both laughed pretty hard at that. Joe walked along the cliff and motioned for us to follow. We stood up and fell in behind him as we took the path back down the cliff. It occurred to me that we didn't finish our hunt.

"Hey, we never killed a phiomia. Why are we heading back?"

"Oh we weren't out to kill a phiomia, just get phiomia meat." He pulled up his implant and a chunk of raw meat appeared in his hand. "Those raptors left quite a bit behind."

I gagged a little. "Are we actually going to eat that?"

Joe looked at me like I had offended him. "What kind of wasteful man would that make me if I didn't? You can always find uses for things on the island. If it can be helped, you should never leave something behind." He walked over to Trailblazer and pulled up his implant. A small beam formed between his implant and Trailblazer. The meat in his hand disappeared into the beam.

"What did you just do?"

"We aren't the only ones with implants. Dinos have them as well. They aren't external and manageable, like ours, but are internal and are linked to bodily processes. However, we can use the interface in our own implants to access the inventory of a dino, provided they don't resist." He put down his arm and walked on. "I find that food keeps longer when stored in the compressed space of a dino. Probably because it's linked to their digestive system. Many dinos can eat directly from their inventory."

As we walked I tried the same thing. I positioned my implant between myself and Trailblazer and activated it. To my surprise, I could actually see Trailblazer's inventory and stats, most of which were higher than mine. It held a good portion of meat as well as several bushels of berries. Some other miscellaneous items littered its inventory: extra bolas and arrows, a spare hatchet and waterskin, and even a heavy-looking chunk of wood with wrappings on its handle. I pulled the last item from its inventory and it materialized in my hand.

Joe glanced back. "That there is a club. Much more fit for rendering your target crippled or unconscious rather than actually killing it. I picked it up on my last trip to town." He shrugged. "I'm not much of a fighter myself, and I don't quite trust Mira with it. You can hang on to it if you want."

"Thanks." I examined the weapon. While it was little more than a think piece of wood with plant fiber wrappings for a handle, it had some weight to it. I swung it a few times to get a feel for it. I aimed for a low hanging tree branch and smashed clean through it. There was definitely some power behind it.

Joe turned at the sound. "Hey, don't go making too much of a mess. Some things track prey by following marks made by them. Wouldn't want something following us now, would we?"

I nodded in agreement. I'd rather avoid that kind of trouble. As we made our way back downstream, I had more time to think, and more things started bugging me. I considered picking up our earlier conversation. "So you said everyone on the island washed up at some point or another, right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"So what about you? How long have you been here?"

Joe lowered his head a bit. "Boy, I've been here forty-two years."

I actually stopped walking. "Forty-two years!? Living in this constant state of eat-or-be-eaten? How are you... How can you keep it up? Especially if you're doing it alone?"

He stopped walking. "... I won't sugar coat it. It's not easy. As hard as some may try, no one person can survive this island in solitude. This island can break the strongest of us; if not physically then mentally. If you don't have someone else to put you back together, then..." He trailed off. He turned to me, his face and tone the most serious I've ever seen him. "Let me ask you a question. Why do you survive?"

I looked at him questioningly. "I'm not sure I understand..."

He took a step towards me. "Why do you survive? Why do you struggle to keep going in a life that's so unforgiving?"

"I don't wanna die."

He took another step. "No, that's not good enough. You can't just fear death. You need a reason to want to live; a reason to fight for." He put a hand on my shoulder. "What is your reason?"

I didn't have an answer to that. "I-I don't know..."

He squeezed my shoulder and his tone turned softer. "Find one. Find what YOU want life to be. The reason to live is everything; never let that go."

He turned and grabbed ahold of Trailblazer's lead and began walking again. I stood there and let his words sink in. Did I have a reason to be here? I jogged to catch up. "So... What's YOUR reason?"

He let out a hollow laugh. "I just want to see a better world than this." He waved his hand to end the subject. "Come on, it's getting dark. Mira will have a fit if we're late."

* * *

We arrived back at the hut as the sun was setting. Joe took Trailblazer to around back to unload the spoils of our hunt into the preserving box. As he was moving the contents, he spoke up. "I've been thinking. When we go into town tomorrow, you should stay there." He shut the lid and turned to me. "The people are ok, and there's always a way to earn a meal."

"So... What? We're saying goodbye?"

"There's a reason I live alone. It's nothing against you, I actually rather like you, it's just that I need to work alone."

I can't say I was surprised to hear this. I mean Joe kinda just took me in out of generosity. I figured that I would outstay my welcome eventually. I'm was just disappointed that I was leaving so soon. "I guess I can respect that. Should I know anything about this town?"

"Not much. You work, you earn food. It's that simple." His brow furrowed in thought. "However... You will need a name if you're going to move out. You been thinking of any?"

To be honest I really hadn't given it much thought. Personal identity wasn't my first priority really. "Well... No, not really."

"Hm..." He scratched his beard in thought. "Your funny, and decently friendly... You strike me as an 'f' name kind of guy..." He mumbled his thoughts. "Felix? Nah... You don't seem like the sly type... Fred? Nah, that makes you sound too young..." He snapped his fingers. "Got it! How what do you think of Francis?"

I felt like most people put more effort into naming their pets than that. I tried the name out. "Francis... Francis... Sorta rolls off the tongue... Yeah alright. Francis works."

Joe clapped his hands together. "Great! Now you're all set. Go see what Mira has picked up. She always grabs more berries than she needs. They're no meat omelette, but they'll tie you over for the night." Joe took Trailblazer around the hut to tie him off.

I walked up to the entrance of the hut to find Mira sitting at the table. I was about to say hi when I heard her talking to someone. "No, you can't have any more black berries. You already ate too many."

I tilted my head in confusion. An imaginary friend maybe? "Hey Mira. Whatcha up to?"

She practically jumped out of her skin. She turned around and glared at me. "Nothing! What are YOU up to?" Her response was really quick and defensive.

I raised an eyebrow. "Not much." I leaned to try to see behind her. She leaned with me. "We just got back."

Her eyes widened a bit. "So... Pops is here?" She patted the table behind her, searching for something.

I leaned the other way. She leaned with me. "Yeah, he is... So did you get anything to eat? Joe said there might be extra berries.

Her hand found an empty basket. She flipped it over and placed it over something behind her. "Uh... Well... You see..." Noises from the basket cut her off.

"Whatcha got there?"

She sat down wrapped her arms around the basket. "None of your business!" A defiant pout crossed her face.

I walk over to the table and examined the other baskets. They were all empty except for one which only had the black berries in it. Mira kept giving me the stink eye and clutching her overturned basket. I picked up a small black berry and popped it in my mouth. A bitter taste flooded over my tongue that left a very numb feeling in its wake. I suddenly felt kinda tired. I shook my head and the feeling passed. Then I remembered Mira had called them "sleepy-time" berries. It's probably best not to eat more.

Joe came around the corner then and took in the situation. "Mira? Didn't you go collect narco berries?"

Mira tensed at the sound of his voice. She turned around and stammered. "I-I did. I got a lot of berries! But- but then-" she took her arms off the basket and raised them to look menacing. "This big, ugly dino came stomping in a-and-" She was cut off again as the basket moved behind her and a light cry came from under it. Mira froze, then threw her arms back over the basket. "Don't look!"

Joe bent down to her level. "Mira, the little guy probably can't breathe in there." He gestured to the basket. "Why don't you just let him out for us?"

Mira kept her gaze in the floor, but slowly lifted the basket, revealing a small monkey underneath. The little mammal jumped in surprise at the new arrivals and darted behind Mira.

Joe sighed. "Mira, what have I said about bringing things into the house? And please don't tell me you spent all day with it rather than your chores?"

Mira grabbed ahold of the monkey. "I did go get berries! I did! But then I saw him and he was looking for berries too and I had a lot of them already so I gave some to him and then he started following me around and picking berries with me and he's really fluffy and cute and I-I..." Tears started rolling down her cheeks. "It gets really l-lonely... when you're g-gone all day. A-and he wanted to be my friend." She met Joe's gaze. "I-I'm sorry! Please d-don't take him away..."

Joe cupped Mira's cheek and wiped away her tears. "Hey, hey. It's ok pumpkin." His tone was gentle and soothing. "I didn't even realize I was gone for so long. I assumed since you were growing up that you could handle being by yourself." He smiled and hugged pulled her into a hug. "I guess I forgot how alone this island can make one feel. And for that I am very sorry."

She returned the hug and cried into his shoulder. After she got her tears out of her system, she looked up at him. "So... d-does that mean...?"

Joe chuckled. "Yes, you can keep him."

Mira squealed with delight and held the little monkey close. It was probably the single cutest thing she's done yet. The small mammal squirmed in her grasp.

"Hey, if he couldn't breathe before, he definitely can't now." I chimed sarcastically.

She shot me a look but loosened her hug. "Shut up... You... Dumb person!"

A chuckled at the improvised insult. "Francis. You can call me Francis."

She smiled deviously. "Nope! Imma call you Frank!"

I glared back at her. She stuck her tongue out.

Rude. But adorable.

Joe laughed at the exchange and stood up. "Keep in mind, he's YOUR responsibility. You have to feed and play with him regularly. And make sure you clean up after him. Mesopithecus are notoriously filthy pets."

Mira nodded. "Got it!"

"So you got a name for the little berry picker or what?" I asked.

"Well... He's brown... What about Brownie?" Her eyes lit up at her own idea. "Yeah, I like that!"

Jeeze... Both of them are terrible at naming things...

Joe chuckled. "Alright then. However, it seems that we need something else to trade with now that narco berries are out of the question." Mira looked away sheepishly. "So it seems we'll have to get something else to sell." He scratched his beard. "Insect shells go for a good price I suppose... We can go collect some tomorrow morning before going into town." He noticed me pale at the thought of more insects. "We'll hunt small ones. Ants, dragonflies, and the like; nothing like what you saw today."

I sighed in relief. Yeah, let's not have a repeat of earlier.

"For now, let's rest up. There's some leftovers from this morning in the box if you want something to eat. We've got a lot to do tomorrow, so get a good nights sleep."

After chewing down on some cold omelette, we said out good nights and retreated to our respective rooms. I kicked off my shoes and flopped onto the thatch mattress. I lay in bed, mentally preparing for tomorrow. I had a name. I soon would have to meet new people, so I repeated it several times in my head to get it locked in. Until then though, I really needed sleep. I closed my eyes and was out like a light.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

A man looked around his camp. They set up by the watering hole to rest after today's hunt. It was a good haul today; they bagged an entire herd of trikes. The slow herbivores never stood a chance. He carved a chunk of meat off of a nearby carcass and impaled it with his spear. He stabbed the other end into the ground and tilted it over the fire to cook. He turned to the carcass and whistled. Out of the shadows emerged several canine creatures, all descending upon the body.

The man smirked as they tore into the flesh. He turned to his compatriot. "Hyeanodons; voracious little creatures, aren't they?"

The other man grunted in agreement, currently stuffing his face with meat. He tore off a fatty chunk and tossed it into the fire. The flames burned brighter for a moment, illuminating the men's features. They were clad in a patchwork of leather armor, made from multiple different hides. Several teeth adorned the necklaces they wore; both dinosaur and human. Their armor was stained red from the bloodbath just hours earlier.

The first man turned to walk into the shadows. "I'm gonna go take a leak. Make sure the mounts get a share as well." The second man grunted again before swallowing. He cupped his hands over his mouth and let out a loud whistle. All around them snarls and barks could be heard as unseen animals gorged themselves on their fresh kills.

The first man walked towards a bush while unbuckling his pants. As he reached it, however, his foot caught on something under the bush. He reached down and untangled a bola from his shoe. "Strange... We don't use bolas to hunt for meat..." He unhooked a torch from his belt, picked up a small rock, and sparked them together to light it. He inspected the bush. "Broken branches... Fresh too. Today possibly..." He held the bola to his nose and inhaled deeply. A grin spread across his face. "That's a new scent~" His excitement grew; so much that a small giggle escaped his lips. He whistled into the darkness and another hyaenodon crept up to him. The man bent down and dangled the bundle of stones in front of the creature. "You smell that?" The mammal sniffed it for a moment before snapping its jaws at it. The man yanked it back out of reach and another burst of laughter escaped from him. "No, you stupid animal!" He kicked the creature to the ground. His manic grin spread from ear to ear as he bent down to whisper to the creature. "That's the smell..." His tone now far from sane. "OF A NEW HUNT~!" He stood up and strode towards the camp. He couldn't contain himself and went into a laughing fit. The sound was amplified as the hyenas added their giggles to the noise. The night air echoed with the sounds of blood and laughter.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Hey editor? How many words was that?**

 **Edit: About 6570**

 **Ow my hands...**

 **Speaking of... Can I get a show of hands? How many of you think Mira is a precious little cinnamon bun? One... two... three... Only 3 of you?**

 **Oh wait.**

 **That's how many readers I have.**

 **...**

 **In other news! Ooooooooh! Look at all those new things! New dinos! Realistic distance between landmarks! The concept of inter-species fighting! THOSE aren't in the game! That's because I'm trying to write the story as if ARK is a finished game. I'm going to be drawing from ALL the revealed content from the devs. However, that's no garuntee that all the announced dinos or even all the released dinos will make an appearance in this story. I'll try to stay true to a lot of the game mechanics and content, but there will be several things that I will have to make assumptions about in order to make the story flow easier.**

 **I think my favorite thing to write are the dino visuals and behaviors. It's so much more fun to think of the dinos as animals with emotions and behaviors rather than "hostile dino," "passive dino," and "personal-space-issues dino."**

 **As always, try to have a good laugh today.**

 **-TheSurvivingComedian**


	4. Chapter 4: Fight or Flight Part 2

**Chapter 4: Fight or Flight Part 2**

* * *

 _Anyone who has spent a few nights in a tent during a storm can tell you: The world doesn't care all that much if you live or die._

 _-Anthony Doerr_

* * *

Day 3

The Western Approach

* * *

I woke up to a horrible smell. And I mean a REALLY bad smell. I scrunched my nose and sat up. Nothing seemed out of place, but the stench was obviously nearby. I slid my legs over the side of my bed and pulled on my shoes. As I slipped on the second one, my foot sank into a squishy substance at the bottom. I pulled my foot out to discover whatever was emitting that horrible smell was in my shoe.

A giggle escaped from the doorway. I looked over to see Mira peering in. She had a hand over her mouth, trying to muffle her laughter. She caught me looking hid behind the door.

I held up the shoe. "Mira. What did I just step in?" I had a sinking feeling. There was no way she did what I think she did.

She let out a whistle and Brownie darted out from beneath my bed and through the door.

She did.

"You little BRAT!"

I launched from the bed and burst through the door. Mira was out of the hut and running down the beach, Brownie close behind. I sprinted through the threshold and onto the sand. "You think you're funny? I'll give you something to laugh about!"

Mira just giggled harder and sped up. Brownie hopped up onto her shoulder when he caught up. She reached a small, rocky cliff. On one side was the ocean, and on the other, the forest. Her head darted around as she looked for another path.

I was closing the distance. "Oh it looks like you're trapped now!"

Brownie jumped off her shoulder and began climbing up the ledge. "Hey! Wait for me!" Mira reached up and started scaling the rock face with her bare feet. I reached the cliff just as she was out of reach.

"Agile little brat, aren't you?"

Mira's response was to turn and stick her tongue out at me. As she turned though, her foothold crumbled slightly. She let out a cry of panic and clung to the rock wall. "Joe!"

My eyes widened and I surveyed the beach. Joe was nowhere in sight. I positioned myself beneath her. "Drop down, I'll catch you."

"No! You'll just drop me!"

"I won't!" I held up my hands to encourage her.

She looked down at me for a moment. "Promise."

"What?"

"Promise me that you'll catch me!"

I chuckled a bit. Did this kid have trust issues? "I promise."

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then her handhold gave way. She cried out and toppled backwards. I leaned back with my arms open and caught her. The weight threw me back and I landed on my rear. I looked down at Mira to find she was clutching my shirt tightly. "Hey, kiddo. It's ok. I got you."

Mira looked down and noticed her grip. She let go and stoop up. "Does... This mean you're not mad?"

A grin spread across my face. "Oh, I never said that..." Her eyes widened as I lunged at her. "C'mere!" She tried to scramble away as I pulled her into a tickle trap. "I told you I would give you something to laugh about!"

"No don't-" her protests dissolved into laughter as I targeted her sides. She twisted this way and that to escape, but she wasn't getting off easy.

My grin grew as she flailed. "Feel the wrath of the tickles!"

"Noooooooooo!"

We both fell into fits of laughter as we tumbled in the sand. Brownie jumped about to the side in an attempt to aid his friend. I glanced and reached out with a free hand. "Oh don't think you're scott free either!" I grabbed the small monkey and pulled him into the pile. I didn't know if monkeys were ticklish, but I was about to find out. More giggles emerged as I poked the small mammal's sides and belly. Mira lit up even more in response and reached over to spread the tickles. She managed to hook a hand under my armpit. "Noooooo! My weak spot has been discovered!" I feigned defeat and flopped onto my back, releasing them.

Brownie hopped on my chest while Mira danced her hands across my now wide-open belly, making me laugh even more. "Now you're in OUR trap."

We cycled through levels of dominance in our tickle fight for several minutes until a truce was called. We lied back on the sand and watched the clouds go by as we caught out breath. The sound of footsteps made me look up.

Joe had arrived with a fresh dilo hung over his shoulder. He looked at us questioningly, but the smile was evident. "Morning workout?"

Mira and I looked at each other and just laughed some more. "Yup." We both said simultaneously.

Joe just shook his head and chuckled. "I'm surprised, Mira. Normally I'm the only tickle monster."

Mira stood up and put on her tough face. "He got me while I was vulnerable! He'll never get ME again!"

Joe smiled warmly at her and pulled her into a hug. His face twinged slightly and he sniffed the air, recoiling from a small. "What's that awful stink?"

I pointed to my discarded boot beside us. Joe curiously looked inside. A smile broke across his face and he looked at me. "Fall victim to the master prankster, did you?

I sat up and picked up the boot. "I guess I did." I walked towards the ocean and dumped the could contents on the sand before rinsing it out. I rinsed my foot off as well. When I was satisfied that there was no residue, I slipped the boot back on. I turned back to Joe. "Is that breakfast?" I asked, pointing to the lizard.

"Ah, not quite. This is our bait."

* * *

Back at the hut, Joe had carved several chunks of meat off of the dilo. He handed me a large, leather bag and a stick with a sharpened piece of flint at the tip. "We're going to bag as many bugs as we can today. Prices of chitin fluctuate from day to day, so we had best be prepared." He whistled for Trailblazer to follow us into the woods, and we were off.

Several minutes later, we set up deep in the trees. He positioned Trailblazer behind a boulder and began hacking at the surrounding brush. "Help me clear an area, will you?"

I bent down and started pulling out leaves and bushes. The more I cleared, the slower I felt, if only slightly. I brought up my arm and checked my implant. Several berries and sections of plant fiber were now in my inventory.

"The implant passively collects bits and pieces of whatever you're digging into. Makes gathering and working that much easier." Joe commented when he saw me.

I nodded. That was useful to know. We continued clearing the ground until we had a small patch to work with. "Is this clear enough?"

Joe surveyed the area. "Yeah, that'll do."

"What'd we do this for?"

Joe bent down and opened his pack. "Just so that we have a good view to see them coming."

"Them?"

Joe pulled out a chunk of meat and speared it. "The bugs, of course." He walked to the center of the clearing and jammed the blunt end of the spear into the dirt, meat sticking from the other end. He walked back and pulled out another spear. "Now," he looked at me, "We wait."

We sat and waited for a while. Unlike our last trip along the river, sitting in silence amidst the trees really gave me time to take in just how alive the forest was. Small birds fluttered through the canopy, small bugs hummed by, and I could hear the sound of dinosaurs calling to each other in the distance. The trees swayed in a light breeze and several morning dewdrops shook from the leaves leaving behind the soft rhythm of them landing. It felt like this was a rare moment of serenity that I should make the most of. Joe passively scribbled in his book while I was left to my thoughts again. It seemed like I had a lot of time on my hands to think lately. "Hey Joe?"

He glanced up to acknowledge me before returning to his writing.

"If everyone woke up on the island at some point, then how long ago did Mira arrive?"

Joe didn't answer me, but he stopped writing. "What's got you on that path of thinking?"

I cocked my head. "Well you don't have to answer, I was just wondering because she's so young. I can't imagine she washed up much younger than she is now."

Joe put his pencil down and sighed. He looked up at me. He seemed to be thinking something over, as if I had just pried at a deep secret. "Some people," he began, "have been on this island for very long." He gestured to himself. "Case and point. When some people have been here a while, they establish a way of life that's comfortable for them. And, in some cases, comfortable enough to make a family." He gazed in the direction of the hut. "Mira... Was one such child. Her parents were two of the smartest and most caring people on the island. They built a life here, trying to make the most of what they had." He smiled. "And they were happy. In a rare, genuine kind of way, they had found peace." His smile faded. "However, this island, and some of it's inhabitants, have ways of breaking peace." He looked to me. "I won't say the details, but for several reasons, I made a promise to take Mira into my care." He smiled warmly. "I've raised her for five years now. She turns nine soon, that's why I'm treating her lately. She hasn't had a lot of experience with people, so she's slow to trust. She a smart girl, though, like her mother, but stubborn and proud, like her father. She shares their big hearts." A chuckle rumbled in his chest. "They would be proud of the girl she's become. I know I am. She's my little ray of sunshine in this otherwise tired world."

I listened closely. Mira had truly been born on the island? I had to give the kid credit; they've probably had a nasty childhood. A chitter interrupted our conversation.

Joe perked up. "Looks like we have costumers." He raised his spear.

Out of the brush came many large insects. Ants the size of my boot as well as dragonflies as big as my fist, all converging on the bait.

Joe launched forward, spear in hand, and stabbed the first ant clear through the abdomen. The insect squirmed before sitting still. Joe lifted his prize and placed it in his bag before looking at me. "Well? Get to it! Bag as many as you can!"

I looked down at the small army. I lifted my spear and drove it through the head of another ant. The creature died instantly. I lifted it up and pried it off my spear into my bag. I looked down to find two more were trying to chew through my boots. I freaked out a little and stomped on one. It made a sickening crunch as it was crushed beneath my boot.

"Hey, don't go smushing them now. The shells are the valuable bit. Keep them in one piece, if you can."

We got to work spearing insects as they came. At first I thought we would get swarmed, but it seemed they were all simply trickling in from wherever the nest was. It took me a while to get the hang of stabbing accurately, I still missed more than I hit. I lost track of time as we worked, the sun now past it's peak. For a while, I thought the swarm would never end, until their numbers began to noticeably dwindle. My bag felt heavy with the weight of all the stabbed bugs by the time they stopped marching in. I was sweaty and tired, but we had gathered a good haul. A few crushed bugs littered the ground, but it couldn't be helped.

"Alright, that should be enough." Joe walked over to the bait. He pulled it off the spear and tossed it into the woods, diverting the rest of the colony. He looked up at the sky. "Aww boy. We lost track of time. Mira's probably hungry." He looked back at me. "Lets you and I take a break for now. We'll head back when we've recovered a bit of our stamina."

I nodded and sat back against a stone. I opened my inventory and pulled out a bushel of colorful berries and munched on them quietly as Joe did the same. The blue, yellow, and red berries all tasted the same; juicy, yet with different levels of sweetness. I went to try a white one when Joe stopped me. "I wouldn't eat those. They're a powerful stimulant, able to wake up even the sleepiest of people. But they have a tendency to dry up the mouth once swallowed." I took his advice and put the white ones back in my inventory. Maybe they would be a good pick-me-up in the mornings. A medium-sized creature fluttered down from a nearby tree. It was smaller than a dilo, yet resembled a raptor. It's body was mostly covered in feathers, yet it seemed more apt to gliding than flying. It inspected the crushed insects for a moment before munching on the remains.

"Archaeopteryx," Joe stated, beginning to lift our bags onto Trailblazer. "Insectivore."

I nodded and leaned my head back to listen to the forest again. I cocked my head to hear better, but was put off by the absence of the usual sounds. No calls, birds, or, with good reason, bugs. Even the breeze had stopped. It was almost completely silent. The archaeopteryx perked up before darting back into the woods. I sat up as the breeze came through. Trailblazer shifted uneasily and glanced about.

My nose pinched up as a smell was carried in by the breeze. It was foul, yet familiar. I smelled it back on our hunting trip when the raptors attacked the phiomia.

It smelled like blood.

I stood up and looked to Joe. His face confirmed he smelled it to. "No, not here, not now... They shouldn't be hunting here..." He looked at me with an urgent expression on his face. "We need to go. Now." He moved to grabbed hold of Trailblazer's lead and pulled him up.

I looked at him questioningly. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

He packed up quickly and met my gaze. "The Scales are coming."

The fear in his voice sent a chill down my spine. He still hadn't explained what or who the Scales were, but it was evident they were bad news. "Should we be worried?"

Joe pulled his satchel over his shoulder. "If we leave now, we might be able to get out of the forest before-"

He was cut off by a whizzing sound as an arrow flew past us. The projectile struck Trailblazer square in the leg, causing it it stumble. The creature cried out in pain before a second arrow pierced it's throat. The poor lizard let out a pained gurgle before collapsing on the ground.

I stood there shocked before Joe grabbed me by the arm. "RUN!"

A howl echoed behind us as we turned and ran. We dashed through the trees, arrows flying past us and sticking into nearby trunks. Whoops and hollers could be heard after near misses. Joe called out to me. "We can get ahead of them! We just need to keep some distance and-" He didn't finish. A bola flew out of the leaves and wrapped itself around Joe's legs, tripping him. He fell to the ground and struggled to untangle the mess of ropes. I bent down to help him, but they weren't coming off. We left our spears behind, so we had nothing to cut them with. "It's no good, boy."

I looked at him. "No, no, we can get this! Just pull harder!"

He gripped my arm to stop me. "Look, we both know there's no time." He took a deep breath and looked me square in the eye. "You can still escape, go!"

"Joe I'm not leaving you here!"

Joe's tone turned deep and more serious than I've ever heard him. "Yes. You are." He turned and unslung his satchel. He handed it to me. "Follow the book. It has maps and instructions that can take you to safety. The beach leads to a town if you head south." A snarl could be heard nearby.

"Joe I-"

"I know, it's sudden, but if you're even half of the kind of genuine person I think you are, you'll go and you'll survive."

I gripped the bag tightly. "...Alright"

I made a move to stand, but Joe grabbed my arm one last time. "Francis," he began, "I know you don't owe me this but, please," his expression became desperate. "Please take her with you."

I gripped his in mine. "I will, don't worry." An arrow struck the ground near us and the souls of footsteps could be heard advancing.

Joe squeezed my hand. "Promise me. Promise me you'll protect her."

I knelt down and looked him in the eye. "I promise you. I'll protect her with my life."

Joe smiled at let out a breath before pulling out his bow. "Thank you. This island needs more people like you. Now GO!" The bushes parted as a man burst through, a club in his raised hand. Joe notched an arrow and fired it straight through his throat. The man recoiled back and brought his hands up to his fatal wound. He stared daggers at Joe as he collapsed. "I'll slow them down! Move!" Joe waved me on. I gave him one last hesitant look before dashing in the direction of the beach.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set as I burst out of the tree line, panting hard. I scanned the beach for the hut. The moment I saw it I sprinted for it. "Mira!" I called out. "Mira where are you!?"

Mira poked her head around the side of the hut. "Over here! I'm making-" She stopped when she saw my expression. "What's wrong?"

Rounded the house and looked back towards the trees. Nothing had come out yet. I turned back to Mira, who was standing by the burning fire pit. "Mira we need to go, now!" I opened the preserving bin and pulled out several helpings of food and stuffed them into the satchel.

Mira noticed the bag. "Why do you have Joe's bag. He never leaves it anywhere." Her voice was growing even more worried. "Where's Joe?"

I glanced at her and froze. She was backing away from me with fear in her eyes. I knelt down to get eye level with her. "Hey, listen to me. Something very bad happened and Joe told me to bring you to town where it's safe."

She just shook her head and took another step back. "Where's Joe!?"

"I'm sorry, I don't have a lot of time to explain." I held out my hand to her. "I'm sure Joe will be fine, but I need you to come with me right now." I winced at the lie, but I didn't have a lot of time to convince her; we were losing light too.

She took another step back, tears beginning to form. "Joe wouldn't give up his bag unless he was in trouble. WHERE'S JOE?!"

I sighed. "Kiddo, I don't-"

I cut myself off as the sound of fast footprints came from behind me. I turned around only for a decent sized mammal to pounce at me. I raised my arm in defense only for the rabid creature to sink its teeth into my wrist. I cried out in pain as I fell onto my back. The canine thrashed its head, trying to rip a chunk out of my arm. I patted the ground with my free hand for something to hit it with. My fingers wrapped around a decent-sized stick in the fire pit. I wound up and smashed the burning chunk of wood against the creature's head. The hyena lost its grip and fell to the side. I shot to my feet and backed up in front of Mira. I clutched my badly bleeding arm against my chest while I held the burning stick out in front of me. I glanced behind me. "Mira are you-" My eyes widened when I realized she was gone. I looked about frantically and spotted her and Brownie running down the beach. "Dammit... Mira!" I called after her. The creature snarled as it got up. I turned back and kicked the tripod down on top of it, pot and all. The hyena yelped as the contents spilled over it and ran back into the woods. I turned and sprinted after Mira.

I caught up to her at the cliff from this morning. She was almost at the top now. "Mira! Wait! You could fall again!" Several growls rang out across the beach. I turned around to see the pack thundering across the sand. I spun and grabbed onto the rocky cliff. "Maybe climbing isn't such a bad idea..." I kept the burning stock in one hand as I scaled the wall. I barely made it up halfway when the hyenas reached the bottom. They jumped and scratched at the wall, but were nowhere near close enough. One of the pack members howled at the rest and they all dashed into the forest. I looked up towards Mira, who was just pulling herself over the top. "Mira wait!" It's was getting way too dark for my liking. I had to use the torch to find handholds. My arms were burning from the stress, but I pulled myself up over the top of the ledge. There was a small clearing on top, with the forest on one side and a drop to the waves on another. Mira was walking along the far side, looking for a way down. I held up my hand to get her attention. "Kid, please. I need you to stop."

Mira turned towards me, tears in her eyes. "Go away!" Brownie jumped up and down aggressively.

"I can't go away! Joe asked me to keep you safe!" I yelled back.

"Joe can keep me safe just fine!" She took a step back.

"No he can't!" I took a step towards her.

She shook her head. "Yes he can! He's always been-"

"Joe's gone, Mira! He-" We both froze, realizing what I let slip.

Mira visibly paled. "W-what?" Her voice was barely audible over the waves below. "N-no, no, no. Not again. Please. N-not again." Brownie let out a panicked cry as she took another step back, only for it to meet unstable ground. She reeled back and began to fall. I launched forward and grabbed her flailing arm. I leaned back hard and pulled her back to flat ground.

She tried to break free again but I held her tight. She beat her arms against me to make me let go. "Let go you stupid mean dumb-"

I dropped the torch, knelt down, and pulled her into a hug. "Kid, I'm so sorry. Some very bad men attacked us while were out. Joe got hurt and told me to go on without him to get you."

She stopped punching but continued to yell. "You could have stayed! You could have helped him!"

"I tried. I wanted nothing more than to help. But Joe asked me to make a promise. He made me promise to protect you." I held her out at arms length. "I'm not going to sugar coat it; I don't know if I can keep that promise. But I sure as hell am going to do my best." I made my tone as gentle as possible. "But I can't do that unless you trust me." I gave her my best smile. "Besides, haven't I made good on my promises before?"

She stayed silent, tears rolling down her cheeks. After a long moment, she looked at me and nodded.

I smiled at her again. "Atta' girl. No more running off now, ok?" I sighed, glad that was done with. I pulled her into a hug again only this time, she returned it. I let her cry into my shoulder for a while, letting her get her emotions out. When she stopped sniveling I let go. "Better?"

She wiped her nose with her arm and sniffed. "... Better."

I stood up. "Alright now how do we-"

Brownie let out a loud screech as the sound of many footsteps became audible. I reached down and grabbed the torch, holding it up to light the area. The fire reflected back from multiple pairs of eyes.

"Shit..." I waved the torch back and forth aggressively to get them to back off. Some of them did, but others simply advanced into the light. They bared their fangs and snarled. I put an arm on Mira to move her behind me. I glanced back to see if there was any way down. All I could see in the dark was the light reflecting off the waves. The cliff was rocky and sharp; no way we could climb it. I turned back as a hyena made a lunge at me. It received a crack over the head with the torch for its troubles. The attack emboldened the pack as they all took a few steps forward. I shifted my foot back only to find the lip of the rock.

We were out of room.

I took one more glance down the cliff, then looked at Mira. "Mira I need to know; do you trust me?"

Mira looked at me panicked. "... I-I..."

Another hyena lunged forward. I spun and caught it midair with a kick, sending it rolling back into the darkness. I whipped back to Mira. "Mira I need to know NOW."

She clutched Brownie close and yelled. "Yes! I-I do b-but-"

I reached out and pulled her close. "Then hold on!" With one more glance at the pack, I jumped off the ledge. I was hoping for a clear drop into the water, but my leg clipped a rock, sending us into a spin. I tumbled against the rocky surface, the sharp outcroppings tearing into me as we fell. I curled around Mira to try and shield her from harm. I don't know which one of us was screaming louder. I crashed hard against a shape in the dark, knocking the wind from me. I'm not sure if the crack I heard was a branch or a rib, but pain exploded across my abdomen. We rolled once more before plunging into the icy water.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hey, you guys wanna know a few fun facts about this story?**

 **-Chapter 1 was 1337 words long.**

 **-This entire story has been written using my phone on Notes and just copy-pasted because my laptop is busted.**

 **-This story has the highest average word count per-chapter of all the ark fics right now.**

 **-This is my first fanfic.**

 **Don't y'all feel just so darn educated right now?**

 **Anyway, I'm writing chapter 5 in the same sitting as chapter 4, so expect that to be out soon, if not like... Half an hour after I post this chapter.**

 **Edit: You don't write THAT fast.**

 **Hey! I wrote this chapter in 3 and a half hours flat! Shut your face hole!**

 **Edit: It's true. It's almost like you have the thumbs of someone who spends 90% of their free time on video games.**

 **Oh wait. I actually do that. Shit. Well look on the bright side! I'm branching out by getting all literary with words and stuff!**

 **In regards to the story, I COMPLETELY underestimated the story when rating this thing. It may not have sexual themes, but this story is probably gonna clock in with M-rated violence. Things can get dark REAL fast if I let them. So if I scarred anyone for life...**

 **My bad? I guess?**

 **As always, try to have a good laugh today.**

 **-TheSurvivingComedian**


	5. Chapter 5: The Shoreline

**Chapter 5: The Shoreline**

* * *

 _A beach is not only a sweep of sand, but shells of sea creatures, the sea glass, the seaweed, the incongruous objects washed up by the ocean._

 _-Henry Grunwald_

* * *

Day 4

The Western Approach

* * *

I felt a gentle nudge on my cheek. It didn't quite wake me, but it was enough to make me stir. I didn't want to wake up. I just wanted to sleep forever. The nudge came again. I furrowed my brow and weakly tried to brush it away. The nudge turned into a slap and I jolted awake. I was lying face down in the sand, water lapping against my feet. I glanced up to see Brownie sitting in front of me. He lifted his arm to slap me again when I spoke up.

"Hey I-" I descended into a coughing fit as I realized how dry my mouth was. I coughed hard and spit out some sand. There was red liquid in the spit. "Shit... What-" my eyes widened as I remembered what had happened. I propped my arms under me and lifted my head. "MIRA-ack" I cried out in pain and fell back down as pain erupted from my lower body. I rolled over slowly and looked down. A small stick had embedded itself between my ribs on my right side. Now that was something stuck in me that WASN'T supposed to be there. My cloth shirt was soaked red on that side. I clutched my side and tried to sit up. "... Agh fuck... Ok, that's really bad..." Brownie chattered to get my attention. I looked at the small monkey and he ran down the beach. My eyes followed him until he stopped just short of another figure lying in the sand.

They weren't moving.

"Oh no..." I managed to roll onto all fours. "Mira... Hey..." Another cough escaped my throat, this time flecks of red dotted the sand. "Kiddo, you ok?"

I dragged myself across the sand, wincing through each movement. "Hey I know you're the prank master, but if you're pulling one now, it isn't funny." I pulled myself up beside her and rolled her onto her back. I lowered my ear to her chest and listened. Her heart beat steadily and her chest rose and fell. I let out a sigh of relief that became another cough. I was really starting to notice the metallic taste in my mouth. I sat back and surveyed the rest of her. Other than a few bruises and a nasty black eye, I couldn't see anything wrong. I relaxed a little bit, only for pain to spike in my side again. I grit my teeth and held my ribs again. Brownie brushed up against my leg, looking at me questioningly. I looked down at the little monkey. "She'll be okay, just a little banged up at the moment." I'm not sure if he understood, but he curled up next to her. I lifted my implant up. "As for me, however..."

Health: 18.6 / 110

And dropping.

"Dammit..." I looked through my inventory for anything to help my situation. There were still a few berries and the meat packed from yesterday, as well as several plant fibers. I pulled out a bushel of white berries and the plant fibers. I lifted Mira's head and opened her mouth, placing a few of the small berries inside. She moved her jaw slightly to chew them before swallowing. "Hate to wake you, but I might need some help."

I checked my belt to see what I still had on me. My club and waterskin were still there, but my hatchet was nowhere to be seen. I decided to get a better look at my wound. I carefully pulled off my shirt and gently probed the area. It didn't seem that deep, but pulling it out would not be smart. Blood slowly trickled from the wound and made a dark patch in the sand. I opened my inventory and looked at myself in the display. I was bleeding slightly from the bite mark on my arm as well as a gash on my forehead. I was covered head-to-toe in bruises and scratches, and obviously the protrusion from my side. I had lost my shoes in the water and my pants were ripped on the knees, revealing more cuts on my kneecaps. If I didn't look like hell before, I definitely do now. Despite everything, it seems like I got away pretty well. Except for one thing.

"The bag!"

I glanced around to see if it had washed up anywhere. Down the beach, I could see the cliff we had jumped from. The water below was littered with jagged rocks. That fact we hadn't landed on those was a miracle in itself. Hooked on one of the closer rocks was the bag. It must have fallen off when we fell and landed there. Hopefully the book wasn't wet, I was betting a lot on it still being readable.

Below me Mira stirred. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times before bolting upright. "Where...?" She looked around before her gaze landed on me.

I waved casually. "Morning kid."

Her eyes widened as she remembered last night's events. "Frank! What happened? Where are we?"

"I'm pretty sure we washed ashore. The cliff is just down the beach." I nodded towards the ledge before looking back to her. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

She checked herself over before replying. "No, I'm fine."

I smiled. "That's good. But I'm afraid I can't say the same." I moved my hand away from the stick.

Mira paled. "Oh god. That's blood. That's a lot of blood. That's really bad ohnoyourehurtreallybadand-"

I put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, although she didn't take her eyes off the gash. "Hey, hey. I know it's pretty grim, but I need you to be brave for a little bit, ok? I need your help with something."

She pulled her eyes off my injury. "What?"

"I need you to go get Joe's bag." I pointed towards the rocks. "It should be shallow there, so getting to it shouldn't be a problem." I looked back to her. "Do you think you can do that?"

She swallowed hard but nodded. She stood up and began walking towards the rocks. I leaned back and tried to soak up the blood with my shirt. Brownie suddenly jumped and howled. I looked down to see him pointing towards a spot on the tree line. I followed his aim to see bright feathers sticking out from the brush.

Bright orange feathers.

"Oh shit. Mira!" I tried to get her attention. She turned back to me, but I knew I could do little more than warn her. "Move! Run!" I waved frantically with one arm. "Get away from the trees!"

Mira turned towards the trees and froze as the two-legged predator stepped out. The raptor from before had wandered this far down the beach. The lizard turned and eyed Mira. I opened its mouth to growl, but only drool came out. I noticed something seemed very off about it. It moved slowly, and reacted to Mira in an almost delayed manner. I yelled to try and divert the creature's attention. "Hey! Featherbrain! You want an easy meal!?" The lizard turned towards me. Only then did I notice it's eyes. They were foggy and unfocused. It turned and took a step towards me, revealing a stab wound in it's side. A familiarly shaped stab wound. The lizard stumbled it's next few steps before collapsing to the beach, unconscious. Mira and I stared at the predator in shock before a chitter broke the silence. An all-too-familiar chitter. Moments later the large scorpion emerged from the brush, scuttling towards the downed raptor. Mira gasped at the sight of it and fell backwards in fright.

Oh no.

The large insect turned towards the sound. I noticed the arrow was still lodged in its eye, as it had to turn all the way around to get a good look. Considering its options, the large insect chose to advance towards the new target: Mira.

"Mira get up! Go! Run for the rocks!"

She didn't need to be told twice. Mira scrambled up and ran towards the rocky outcroppings. The scorpion was gaining though, and Mira cried out for help as she ran. Brownie dashed from my side and towards the insect. He hopped on its back and smeared a brown substance over the scorpion's face. The large insect screeched in disgust and lashed its tail at the small monkey. Brownie was off and scampering away before it could land a hit. The bug wiped its face with a claw and resumed its pursuit, only temporarily stunned. It's was enough time, however, for Mira to climb up the rock and procure the bag. The scorpion quickly reached the base of the shallow rock and began lashing at her. Mira pulled her legs up close and cried out in panic. "Help! Someone please!"

I needed to get up. I needed to help. I was so tired of not having a break with this island. I was so pissed that nothing could calm down for one goddamn day. I got up to one knee, then pushed myself up, gritting through the pain. I took a few steps before stumbling again. I cried out again and looked up towards Mira. The scorpion was relentless, and she was slipping on the wet surface. I forced myself up again.

"I made a promise." I muttered. "I made a promise to protect her." Anger surged through me as I limped forward. "I don't know anything about myself, but so far I've been a man of my word. And that's something I can hold onto." I pulled the club off my belt. "So if you think I'm gonna let go of that because of some stupid injury..." The scorpion had yet to notice me approach it. Mira had slid down within striking range. It poised its tail and took aim. "THEN YOU DON'T KNOW JACK SHIT ABOUT ME EITHER!" I reached out and grabbed its tail. I leaned back and dragged the insect from the water. The bug squealed in surprise and tried to thrash, but I held it firm. I raised the club and brought it down hard on the protruding arrow, hammering it through the insect's head. The scorpion screeched and writhed in pain. I brought the club down on its head again screaming. "I'm sick of always running! I'm sick of things trying to kill me! And most of all..." I punctuated each word with a bash from the club. "I'M. SICK. OF. YOU!" Its head was little more than pulp floating in the water at the end of my rant. The insect lay still.

I fell back on my rear and clutched my side. I wasn't doing too hot after that. I pulled open my inventory;

Health: 11.2 / 110

"Ok, I'm done." I leaned back and flopped against the sand.

Mira bent down beside me. "Are you ok? Frank!"

I smiled. "Didn't I tell you to call me Francis?" I tried to chuckle, but it hurt too bad. "You mentioned someone in town right? You know how to get there?"

Mira's eyes teared up, but she nodded. "Yeah, Mrs. Ellen's house."

"Good. Go there. She can probably keep you safe." My vision became spotty.

"No! I'm not leaving you here!"

I coughed hard. "Mira, I'm telling you, go-"

"No! You left Joe behind and now he's..." Her tears spilled her face and she trailed off. "If I leave you behind, you'll..."

"Mira, please. I'm-"

"No!" She shot up and dug through the bag. "Please, please... Yes!" She pulled out a small red vial. Medical Brew. She uncorked the cap and drizzled the contents on my gash.

I screamed in pain. Medical Brew really is liquid fire. She rubbed the substance around and into the wound, inciting more painful yells. My whole body tensed in pain from the medicine. After several moments in agony, the pain finally dulled. I breathed heavily, my throat raw from dryness and yelling. I lifted my arm and checked my inventory again;

Health: 6.5 / 110

And rising.

I looked up at Mira who was shaking and staring at the blood. I reached up and squeezed her arm. "Hey." She looked to me. "You did good. That was a good idea." She smiled and more tears rolled down her face. I leaned back into the sand. "I guess protection can be a two-way street..."

* * *

We set up a campfire alongside some more rocks while we waited for me to recover enough to walk. I had torn up my shirt and tied off the scraps with plant fibers to make some makeshift bandages. I carefully lined up where the stick would be before poking a hole in the bandage and sliding it over it. The bleeding may have stopped, but if that thing came out now, we wouldn't be able to stop it. Meat sizzled on the fire as it cooked. We hadn't eaten since yesterday morning and even half-cooked meat seemed appetizing. The meat was going to go bad soon anyway, so we might as well cook it all.

I surveyed the beach and collected some sticks and flat stones. When I found one of each I was satisfied with, I used the stone to carve out a small notch in the stick. I slotted the stone within the notch and wrapped it with plant fibers to secure it. I gave my flimsy hatchet a few experimental swings. It held together well enough, so I figured it was fit to use. I walked over the the scorpion shell and began hacking away at it. Joe mentioned that insect shells went for a good price in town, so maybe this would prove useful. After all, didn't he say to never waste anything? I washed the blood off the harvested segments and tossed the meat to the side. I don't care how hungry I might be; I'm not eating a giant bug. Mira sat by the water's edge, washing her hands. It had been a while since the blood had washed off, but she kept at it. After packing the shells into the satchel, I walked over to her and knelt down.

I scooped her into a hug, as tight as I could without aggravating my injury. She flinched at the embrace, but otherwise didn't say anything. I held her for a while before she started shaking. I looked down to see she was silently sobbing. Despite the tough girl act she likes to put on, she was obviously very frail. She wasn't used to this in the slightest. It spoke wonders about Joe's skills as a parental guardian, but didn't bode well for her now. She was just a kid, barely nine years old. She shouldn't have to deal with this kind of stress. I rubbed her back gently to try and soothe her tears. I spoke softly to her. "It's alright. We're ok. You've been so brave." My expression fell a bit. "I'm so sorry. It's my fault we're here. I'm not Joe. I couldn't protect you from everything." I stood up and took her hand. "C'mon. You're soaking wet. I can't have you catching a cold now." I led her over to the fire where she lied down beside it. Within a few moments, her breathing took on the rhythmic pattern of sleep. She had to be so tired, she deserved a rest.

I sat down against a log and stirred the fire with a stick, sending sparks into the air. I pulled the chunks of meat off the sticks I had speared them on and bit into one. It was crispy and overdone, but edible. I packed up the rest in the satchel for Mira when she wakes up. While in the bag, I pulled out the book and flipped through it. The amount of information in it was astounding; maps, detailed dossiers of dinosaurs, in-depth instructions for making various materials, even descriptions of tribes and people. Joe wasn't exaggerating when he said this was a long project. This book must have taken years to assemble. Woven into the rear cover was a sleeve filled with multi-colored stencils. On the back of the last page was a note addressed to the reader.

 _Should this journal find itself in new hands, then you may assume something became of it's author. You will find the information recorded to be helpful and possibly life-saving, so treat this with care. I know you have no obligation to do so, but I would ask a favor of the finder of this book; at the center of this island is a forest. A forest of trees wider than a Stego and taller than a Bronto. Take this book to that forest. There are people there who need this information desperately. If you can do this, then you will have done an old soul a great kindness. May the island grant you favor in your endeavors._

-Jahova the Informer

I read the note several times over. For all I know, this could be Joe's last request. I considered his task for a while. The note stated I would have to journey to the center of the island. So far I had only seen the beaches and a river, I didn't know what the rest of the island had to offer. I flipped through to the map. It had a grid overlaying the map itself, denoting latitudes and longitudes. The island was large, if the landmarks were anything to go by. It had two large rivers bisecting it from the northeast to the southwest, with a delta-like formation of land masses at either end. There we several mountains on the north side, especially in what appeared to be a snow-covered region. There were several colored areas denoting changes in the environment; dark grey for mountains, green for forests, dark brown for a section in the center, and a light yellow-green for what seemed to be swamps. The swamps surrounded the brown area in the center labeled only as Redwood Forests. The map had several labels over various points of interest; everything from broad regions to isolated points denoted by numbers. I flipped the page and saw a list of numbers followed by descriptions of what was located at that point on the map. Everything from caves to towns. "... Slipstream Temple, The Black City, Arkadia... What?" I flipped back to the map. What really drew my attention were three large pillars sketched on different places. A blue one at the peak of the snow mountains, a red one in the southwest corner, and a green one on the far east side. The way they were drawn made them seem more prevalent than any other mark on the map. I didn't have a lot of time to theorize as a rustle from nearby grabbed my attention.

I put the book down and turned to Mira. "Awake so soon?" I paused. Mira was still fast asleep by the fire. Brownie was cuddled up beside her, so it couldn't have been him. I tensed and glanced about. There shouldn't have been anything else on the beach except-

"The raptor!" We had just left it there on the beach. I braced my arms on the log and pulled myself up. I limped towards where the lizard had collapsed. As I rounded a boulder, I spotted the raptor still lying in the sand. I let out a sigh of relief, only to gasp quietly as the lizard's form shifted lightly. It was waking up. "Oh that's not good..." I was in no state to fight again, and Mira was still sound asleep. If it got past me, she wouldn't see it coming. I patted my pants for my club, eyes widening when I realized I left it back at the fire. "Shit..." I pulled open my inventory and scanned it for anything I could use. All I had were berries and fibers. I threw down my arm in frustration. "No. No, there has to be-" A thought hit me. Berries. I pulled open my inventory again, heart racing as a plan formed. My eyes flicked about the interface until I spotted what I needed. I pulled out a handful of black berries and limped towards the creature. I knelt down next to the raptor as it stirred. It's eyes opened and darted about before landing on me. It recoiled in surprise and tried to stand, but I dove forward and pinned it to the ground. It thrashed, eyes wild with fear as it tried to escape. It opened its mouth and let out a distressed cry. I wedged the fistful of berries in its open mouth and slammed its jaw shut. "Go to sleep go to sleep go sleep go to sleep!" The lizard flailed and bucked as it tried to spit out the bitter substance, but it was clear that it was losing the fight. It's efforts dulled and its eyes began to lose focus. It kept staring at me in fear until it drifted off once again, the berries having the desired effect. Once I was sure that the raptor was truly out cold, I released it. "Bed time, buddy." I smiled at my next phrase. "Don't let that defeat get to you. You'll end up _deep-rest_." I laughed lightly at my own joke before glancing around. "Geeze, tough crowd..." Despite no one being around. I had no idea how long the sedative would last for, so it was probably a good idea to get moving.

* * *

I shook Mira gently. "Hey kiddo, it's time to get up." Mira mumbled in protest and rolled over. "Oh don't give me that." Mira remained still. "We have to get moving soon. I don't want the day to get away from us." Mira responded by curling around Brownie like a stuffed animal. I looked at her with an amused smile. "Oh... So it's gonna be like that, huh?" I stood up and stroked my non-existing beard in a pensive stance. I smiled and began my delivery. "Man, you make sleeping look so easy. In fact, I bet you could do it with your _eyes closed._ " Mira didn't make a sound, but silent giggles shook her frame. "You know, I heard about a guy who had a dream where people wouldn't stop offending him. Needless to say, he didn't take that _lying down_." A small snort escaped her but she smothered it quickly. I kept them coming. "Did you hear about the guy who had a sleeping sickness? He was _bedridden_ for weeks!" I fired out another. "So a guy comes into my room and asks if I'm going to sleep all day. I tell him that I wouldn't _dream_ of it."

By now Mira was having trouble containing her laughter. She tried not to move, but her non-stop snickering betrayed her act. Brownie eventually pulled himself away and eyed me loathingly. Mira stretched out an arm to try and get him back, but with no luck. "Nooooooo..."

I chuckled deeply. Despite our situation, it was nice to know we could still have a light moment. Mira rolled back over and looked up. I smiled and held up the bag. "Breakfast?"

Mira sat up and a loud growl from her stomach answered for her. "... Excuse me."

I jumped in mock surprise. "Whaaaaat!? The little brat knows manners!?" I gestured dramatically.

Mira giggled at the display and stood up. She posed equally dramatically and spoke in an over-the-top voice. "I'll have you know, good sir, that I have received the highest level of education in speaking politely."

I chuckled and took a flamboyant bow. "Forgive me! I had no idea I was in the presence of such an esteemed member of society!"

Mira turned up her nose, but broke into a smug smile. "I might forgive something so terrible. If-" she turned back to me and held out her hand. "You provide me with breakfast."

I pulled the bag open and presented the cooked meat. "Anything for you, dear madam! But I'm afraid we must take this meal to go!" I glanced at the sun which was reaching its peak. I didn't know how much more we had to walk before we reached the town, and the last thing I wanted was to arrive at nightfall.

Mira pouted. "Alright." She took the meat and began biting into it. After chewing it for a minute she made a face.

"Yeah, I'm probably not the best cook. Sorry."

"No kidding, this tastes like spoiled mejo berries." She stuck her tongue out.

"Well get used to it. That's breakfast." I looked up at the sky. "Or lunch now, I guess." I picked up my meager belongings and packed them away before kicking some sand into the fire, smothering it. I slung the bag over my shoulder and nodded down the beach. "C'mon. We've got some walking to do."

Mira let Brownie hop up on her shoulder and nodded. We both turned and walked southward. As we made our way out of the rocks though, we passed the raptor, still passed out in the sand. I stopped and stared at the creature for a minute, considering it. It's face contorted in pain as it slept. It was probably starving. This thing was denied food, kicked from its pack, and attacked by a massive bug. Then I came along and forced narcotic down his throat. It's been just plain unlucky. In a way it actually reminded me of... Well... Me. I frowned though, the difference between me and him was that Joe helped me get on my feet each time. I sighed, considering something.

Mira noticed I had stopped and turned around. "What are you doing?"

I let out a laugh. "Probably something stupid." I rummaged through the bag for the last piece of meat and tossed it near the lizard. "Let's hope your luck turns around buddy. Even if you didn't laugh at my jokes." Satisfied, I turned and caught up with Mira.

We had a long walk ahead of us.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hey guess what! As of posting chapter 5, aWoTaS is now the longest Ark fanfic on the archive!**

 **Edit: Awesome. So... why did you write 2 chapters in as many days?**

 **Because the fans demanded content.**

 **Edit: ...So 3 people left reviews that said something like "Can't wait" or "Hurry up with the next chapter" and that's all the motivation you need to destroy the word count of most college exam papers?**

 **Precisely. The support I've seen for this story has been overwhelmingly positive. Someone even PM'd me and asked me if this story was going to be over 30 chapters "like alot of good fanfics."**

 **Let me put it to you this way; I've planned out... what? Over 8 different distinct locations across the Ark? All of which involve their own story arcs and characters. And that's not even including chapters based on minor locations or ones devoted to character or background development. Or filler chapters, if I decide to have those. On top of all that, the Ark devs might still release even MORE content that I could implement into this story. I mean, they just released prehistoric BEES. I could have SO much fun with that. I'd be surprised if this story DIDN'T end up being 30 chapters or more. And even if it is around that number, you can bet the word count of these chapters is gonna stay pretty darn high.**

 **Edit: But it's not like the speed that these chapters come out is at all related to the amount of positive reviews, favorites, or follows, right?**

 **Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight... I mean _hypothetically_ if someone _wanted_ to leave a review, favorite, or follow the story, then _possibly_ the next chapter might come out faster.**

 **Edit: ...**

 **But really though, feel free to let me know what your thoughts are on the story. If you like what I'm doing, have something you might want to see, or just flat out want to inflate my ego, let me know! Reviews are the best form of feedback I have.**

 **As always, try to have a good laugh today.**

 **- TheSurvivingComedian**


	6. Chapter 6: Friend or Foe

**Chapter 6: Friend or Foe**

* * *

 _Things are never quite as scary when you've got a best friend._

 _-Bill Watterson_

* * *

Day 4

The Western Approach

* * *

We walked in silence. And by that, I mean I had now idea what we could talk about. I glanced at Mira to see how see was doing. Mira simply stared straight ahead as she walked. I sighed inwardly. This last day was probably one of, if not the most traumatic experience she would have faced by now. I wracked my brain for something to break the silence when she spoke up.

"He's not gone."

I looked at her questioningly. "Who?"

"Joe." She looked at me. "He's not gone. He's gotten in trouble with the bad men before, but he's always come back, he wouldn't just..." she trailed off. "He's still alive. He'll find us."

I doubted that, but didn't say anything. Mira still had hope, I wasn't going to crush that. If Joe expected to get out of that just fine, then he wouldn't have entrusted me with Mira and his book; the two most important things to him. I just shook my head. "I hope so, kiddo. I hope so."

As we made our way down the rocky beach, we passed more dinos. A few dodos waddled by and a couple spiky shelled crab-like creatures scuttled across the sand. I looked at the map as we walked, trying to get a bead on how far we had to walk. I surveyed around to see any landmarks that might clue me in as to our location, but a light cloud cover had rolled in, obscuring any view I might get. We were basically at sea level anyway, so it's not like I would have had much to see. We walked for another hour or so when the cloudy weather began to slowly progress into fog. It was thick enough that we couldn't see too far down that beach, but not so much that we were walking blind. As far as distance goes, however, I was completely lost. I looked to Mira again.

"So you're sure we just follow the beach?"

Mira nodded. "There's a little hill just before the town, but then we should see it clearly."

I grunted in response and packed away the book. I arched my arms upwards to stretch out a bit and grimaced. Pain had been slowly returning to my side as the medical brew wore off. We only had one more bottle, but I wanted to save it for emergencies. I rubbed my hand around to wounded area to try and massage the pain away, but had little effect. I decided to simply zone out a bit while we walked. I listened to the sounds around me. The steady beat of the waves, the gentle breeze filtering through the trees and brush, the quiet squawk of nearby dodos, the crunchy of sand and pebbles beneath our feet, the startled cry of a dodo behind us...

Wait...

I turned around at surveyed the beach behind us. The fog blotted out much of my field of few, but nothing seemed amiss. I continued walking, but kept my ears open. The sound of the waves and breeze were still there, but I couldn't hear a lot of the wildlife anymore. The hairs on the back of my neck pricked up and I turned around again. I swear I could have seen a shadow in the mist. I turned back and picked up the pace a little, catching up with Mira. I placed a hand on her back and gently pushed. "Hey, think we can pick up the pace a bit?"

She looked at me confused, but obliged. "What's the matter?"

I pursed my lips and glanced about. "I've just got a bad feeling..."

We walked for a little while longer while I listened intently into the fog. Aside from the waves, the only sound was our footsteps; my heavyset and awkward limp, Mira's softer, yet audible steps... and one more pair. I placed a hand on Mira's shoulder and stopped, indicating she should do the same. She turned to me. "Wha-"

I placed a hand over her mouth and brought a finger to my lips, silencing her. The air was silent around us as I scanned the fog. I lifted my foot and began walking in place, making sure I made plenty of noise with my footsteps. Not far off, we could clearly hear another pair of footsteps pick up. I turned to Mira and whispered quietly. "Don't panic. But we're being followed."

Her eyes widened and she pulled my hand away. "What if it's-?"

I shook my head. "If it were Joe, he probably would have called out to us by now, right? This guy is staying in the mist."

She visibly deflated. "Then... what do we do?"

I considered our options. I didn't know how much farther we had to walk. I was still in no condition to fight; if worse came to worst, I would lose a fight with a dilo at this point. I made a careful judgement and whispered back. "For now, keep walking. Don't do anything quick or dangerous. If we can get to town, we'll be fine."

Her eyes widened a bit. "And what if we don't get to town?"

I didn't have an answer to that. I simply took her hand and led her on.

* * *

I tried to keep a quick pace, try and lose our pursuer in the fog, but they managed to keep up with us pretty well. I kept glancing back to try and identify them, but they stayed just outside my field of view, darting through the fog or behind rocks. I could never get a good look at them. I decided to focus on moving forward. I was beginning to struggle, though. We were basically power walking our way across the beach. With the pain growing in my side, I couldn't maintain this pace much longer. As much as I tried to hide it, my limp was becoming painfully apparent. I had pulled out my hatchet just in case, as pulling the club would definitely cue our chasers in that I knew we were being followed.

Something was really beginning to bug me though; if this were a friendly person, they would have alerted us by now. However, if this were someone hostile or a predator, they would have noticed my state and known they would have an advantage. If this thing was going to do something, it should have already. But it just kept... following us, trying to hide itself. It was beginning to make me intensely nervous. The fog showed no signs of clearing up, yet each time I glanced back the shadow seemed slightly more defined. Whatever its intentions were, it was gradually closing the distance between us. And we couldn't do a thing about it.

I turned back to Mira to check on her. Despite being so young, she had incredible stamina. She was almost jogging in front of me. Brownie lightly bobbed on her shoulder as she walked. I called out to her. "Hey, you doing alright? Tired at all?"

She spun around and began walking backwards. "Yeah I'm fine."

I gave her an encouraging smile. "That's good. Figured a kid like you would be full of energy. Hey, how much farther-"

Brownie let out a quick cry to warn Mira of a rock. Mira tried to turn too quickly and tangled her feet together. She tripped over the rock and fell to the sand. She picked herself up quickly but held her knee.

I bent down beside her. "Here, let me see." She lifted her hand away revealing a good-sized scrape across her knee. She by her lip in pain, but otherwise tried to keep on her tough face. "I think I've got something for that." I pulled out my waterskin and poured water over her knee, washing away the sand. I reached in the bag and procured a small patch of cloth and some stringy plant fibers. I placed the patch over the scrape and wrapped it in fiber before tying it off. I patted her leg. "There you go. Better?"

Mira nodded before looking behind me. Her eyes widened and she pointed. "There!"

I whipped around to try and catch a glimpse of whatever she saw. Our pursuer had wandered too close to be fully hidden from the fog and tried to dash behind a rock. Before it did, I caught a flash of green and orange. "That little shit..." I muttered. The raptor had followed us this whole way. I whipped my arm hard and threw my hatchet at its hiding place. It pinged off the boulder harmlessly, but it was enough the startle the lizard out of hiding. I jumped away from the impact and into plain sight. It realized its mistake and froze, wide-eyed staring at us. Our eyes met in a standoff, neither of us moving. I expected it to lunge, but it just stared, as if expecting me to make the first move. I didn't want to move, lest I motivate it to attack, so I spoke instead. "What? Was that half-cooked meat not enough for you? You have to hunt us down? That really gives new meaning to biting the hand that feeds, right?" The lizard blinked in response before jolting, as if realizing something. It slowly stepped back behind the rock and pulled something out from behind it. In its mouth was a mangled dodo. It took a few tentative steps towards us. I reached down and pulled out my club. The raptor flinched at the sight and stopped. It bent down slowly and placed the dead bird on the ground. I looked at it confused. It nudged the corpse forward, indicating it was presenting it to me. "That's... nice. You finally got a good meal. Good for you." The raptor frowned slightly and picked up its prize again. He took a few more steps towards us and I held the club out towards it in silent warning. The raptor took the hint, stopping. However, it swung its head a little and tossed its catch towards me. It landed at my feet and I looked at it. Aside from a killing bite, he hadn't eaten any of it. My gaze went back to the predator. It took a few steps back, but it's eyes flicked between me and the bird. It clicked in my mind what it was trying to do. "This... is for me?" The lizard perked up and looked at me expectantly. I reached out and grabbed the dodo, placing it beside me. The lizard's lips curled upwards in what could have been a smile, but ended up being more intimidating. It's feet tapped in excitement and it looked at me once again, as if expecting something. I kept the club pointed at it, but used my free hand to rummage through the bag. I found what I was looking for and pulled out the survivor book. I opened it up to the section written on dinos. I flipped through until I found the part dedicated to raptors. My eyes darted between the pages and the lizard as I skimmed. I mumbled the important bits aloud. " _Utahraptor Prime_... aggressive pack hunter... hit-and-run predator..." My eyes skimmed something slightly more interesting. "Domesticated: Fast scout... used mostly by traveling raiders..." I frowned at that bit before I found what I was looking for. "Those who ride _Utahraptor_ claim they are incredibly difficult to tame, but fiercely loyal once they are..." I looked back towards the lizard who was standing there nervously. I put the book down and rose to my feet. The raptor eyed me warily, but didn't move. I held my hand out towards the predator and slowly began to lower the club.

Mira's eyes widened and she called from behind. "What are you doing?"

I shrugged lightly and took a step forward. "... probably something stupid..." I lowered the club all the way to the ground and let go before standing up again. I kept both hand out ahead of me warily and slowly began to step forward. The raptor tensed a little and took a step back. I spoke quietly, like I do with Mira. "Hey, hey. It's ok." The raptor stopped stepping back, but didn't relax at all. "You've had a rough time... so have I... I don't want to fight anymore." I took a few more steps. "If you don't hurt me... I won't hurt you... deal?" The raptor watched me cautiously, never breaking eye contact. I held my hand out towards it and tensed up, realizing exactly how dangerous this was. "Let's just... be friends... alright?" I flinched and looked away, holding my hand out towards it.

I expected pain. I expected it to lunge forward and bite my hand clean off. I expected anything else than what happened. There was a light pressure pressed into my palm. I looked up to see its reaction. The raptor had pressed its muzzle into my hand and relaxed substantially. I sighed in relief, but it didn't quell how quickly my heart was beating. I watched the lizard in fascination as it gently nuzzled my palm. I ran my hand across its head, running my hand through the feathers. Just beneath his chin, he leaned into it. I smiled nervously. "That a good spot for you?" I scratched there and it leaned really hard towards me, eyes dulling in bliss. Eventually my arm was pressed closer to me and my implant lit up. It had a simple prompt:

Name The Creature

My brow furrowed in thought. "You're not the bravest of raptors, I mean you're cowardly enough to blow your cover when startled. You aren't really sneaky or quiet to begin with really. Honesty if you just worked on your confidence, you'd be a decent hunter. I want to think you're a 'c' name..." I ran through a few names, but none of them seemed to fit. "You caught a dodo well enough... how about Catcher?"

The raptor perked up happily. I smiled, satisfied. "Catcher it is." The name flashed below the prompt before the light reassembled to display Catcher's inventory. He had higher stats than me, but not by much in terms of health or weight. What caught my eye was the fast amount of stamina and movement speed he had. "You're a fast one, aren't you?" Catcher grunted in response and I took that as a yes. I brought my arm back down, closing the interface. I stepped back and took a good look at him. His scales were a light green color, with several scars and scratches dotting them. His feathers were an almost obnoxiously orange color, and seemed patchy in places, mostly where the scratches were. It was skinny; definitely the result of malnutrition. This guy really didn't get a lot of meals. Despite his meager appearance, it still terrified the hell out of me. But if it was going to be friendly to me, I might as well return the favor. I turned back to Mira. "See, it was stupid, but it paid-" I stopped when I noticed she was shaking. I walked over to her and knelt down. "Whoa, hey. Everything turned out fine. We-"

She yelled back. "And what if it wasn't fine?"

I recoiled from the ferocity in her voice. "Mira, I-"

She stood up and glared at me. "What if that hadn't gone the way you wanted? What if it attacked you? What if you..." Her eyes brimmed with tears, but she wiped them away forcefully. "I didn't... I don't want to..." Her hands flailed as she tried to form the words. Finally, she deflated and turned away. "Can we go now?"

I couldn't understand why she was angry. Sure that was dangerous, but we didn't have a lot of options. I sighed, figuring arguing would get us nowhere. "Yeah, kiddo. Let's go." I stood up and began walking, Catcher falling into step behind me. The fog seemed to be clearing for now, revealing the setting sun. Things were shaky for now, but we were safe. And that made me smile.

* * *

We had just hiked over the crest of a small hill when Mira spoke up again. "There." Have pointed ahead of us. Ahead of us was a small bay, surrounded by mostly wooden buildings. Night had fallen, so most of the town was dark, but a few of the structures were lit. Mira began walking down towards them.

I limped after her, the stick in my side really started hurting again. "I assume you know the way?"

Mira ignored me and continued walking. I frowned at her stubbornness, but continued to follow. I glanced back at Catcher who had been following at a distance. I had let him keep his dodo, and he scarfed it down like he wouldn't eat again in a month. But then again, to him, he probably thought that. I shook my head and looked back towards Mira. We had passed through the outer buildings and were now walking in the street. The road was little more than compacted sand in the main pathways. We reached a building that still had a light burning inside. It was large and had a sign hanging above it labeled "The Drunken Dilo" with a crude painting of an obviously dizzy dilo. Mira walked right up to the door and knocked. I opened my mouth to say something when I was cut off by a voice from inside.

"We're closed."

Mira called into the door. "Mrs. Ellen? It's me, Mira."

There was a long silence from inside before steps could be heard. A light sparked inside and approached the door. I could hear a lock being undone before the door swung open to reveal and intimidating-looking elderly woman with a torch in her hand. She gazed down at the girl before looking about and spying me. Her eyes narrowed at me for a minute before addressing Mira. "My, you're here quite late child. Where might Joe be?"

Mira looked to the ground and stayed silent. I took the opportunity to speak up. "Joe was... taken by men he called 'Scales.' He told me to bring Mira here."

The only lady grimaced. "...shit. Old fool. I told him his little crusade was going to come back and bite him in the ass... just because I like the kid doesn't mean I'm a foster parent..." She looked back to me. "And who might you be, showing up on my doorstep in such a state?"

"My name is Francis. Joe... found me just a day or two before he was..." I trailed off. "He asked me to take care of Mira. He said there was a town here and someone who could help."

The woman shook her head. "There's no helping Joe. If the Scales finally got him then that's his problem and his alone... island help him..." She looked at me again. "As for you two, I can't in good mind turn away people in need. You can hardly take care of yourself, let alone this child. Come on in, I know a thing or two about medicine." She waved us inside, then turned back and pointed to Brownie and Catcher. "But THEY stay outside."

Mira opened her mouth in protest. "But-"

Ellen held up her finger. "No! No buts! My home, my rules." She waved her hand in the direction of the back of the tavern. "There's a place around back you can keep 'em. Put 'em there."

We walked behind the building to find a small stable. There were several fence posts inside with ropes attached, presumably to tie up mounts. Already there was a phiomia tied up, snoring loudly. I brought Catcher over to the fence and looped a rope around his neck. He pulled away but I put a hand on his neck to calm him. "It's just for tonight buddy. I'll back in the morning." Catcher calmed down and let me finish trying the knot. I left it loose enough that it could slide around, but not enough so that it could come off. I looked to Mira to see what she was doing. She was trying to find a way to hide Brownie on her person. I sighed and knelt beside her. "Hey. It's her rules, remember? She's being kind and letting us stay here tonight. Let's do our best to respect her, alright?"

Mira glared at me before sighing and looking around. The ropes were too big to put on the small monkey. She eyed a small dodo coop and pulled open the door. She waved for Brownie to go in. "C'mon. Just for tonight. I promise I'll be back." Brownie clung to her leg for a while before finally obeying. Mira shut the door and waved at Brownie through the opening. "Good night." Brownie chattered back in response. Mira stood up and brushed past me going towards the front door. I scoffed once she went inside. Her grudge was really holding up.

I turned back towards Catcher who was sniffing the phiomia. I pointed a finger at him forcefully. "No. Don't get any ideas." He grunted in response and left the pig alone. He sniffed the ground a little bit before curling up in the dirt. I bent down and scratched beneath his chin again, inciting an affectionate rumble from the lizard. "Good night buddy." I stood up and walked through the front door. The building had a spacious interior, most of which was taken up by tables and chairs. Taking up one wall was a notice board covered in posters and written notes. Opposite that wall, about a quarter of the space was taken up by a bar. Behind it were bottles filled with varying degrees of colored liquids, as well as a menu. Mira sat at one of the stools with a glass of water. She just kind of stared at it instead of drinking it. Ellen entered the room from a door behind the bar. She noticed me and waved me to follow her. I walked through the door with her into a small kitchen. She continued up a staircase to another set of doors, one of which she held open to me.

"This is the guest room. You can stay here for the night. I'll go get something to help you with that." She disappeared back down the staircase.

I nodded a thank you and proceeded into the room. It was larger than the one in Joe's house; it had a bed, a table, and a chair. The bed was a similar construction as the one I previously slept on, except this one had a few layers of hide for warmth. I looked around and noticed an unlit torch on the table. Beside it were a chunk of rock and flint. I sparked the two together a few times before some embers caught in the torch. I blew on them gently and a small flame blossomed to life, lighting the room. I sat down on the bed and waited for Ellen to come back up.

After about a minute or two, the door opened and Ellen walked in carrying a bag. The contents clinked as she set them on the table. "Jahova gave me some of his recipes a while back. Though I might not be as good of a doctor as he was." She turned back to me. "Alright, let me see it." I gently peeled off the bandage. The blood was dry and crusted, but a steady drop escaped now and then. She winced at the sight. "Good lord, child. It's a miracle you're still standing." I looked down at the wound and my eyes widened. Over the course of the day, the gash had swollen and bruised, leaving a nasty-looking gash. I gulped at the sight. At tentatively touched the invading object. Pain sparked through my ribs and I yanked my hand back. Ellen placed a hand on my shoulder. "Lie back, I'm going to get a better look." I nodded and complied. She rummaged through the contents on the table and pulled out a red vial and a green one. She placed them both on the bed next to me. She placed her hand around the wound and spoke softly. "Alright, it's something I can fix. Now I'm just going to-"

She gave no warning. Why does no one give any fucking warning for these things?

She ripped the stick out quickly as she was talking. I arched my back in pain and cried out. She cursed. "Damn... that wasn't clean at all.." She leaned forward and pinned me in place to keep me from thrashing. She was surprisingly strong for her age. She poured the red liquid into the now larger and heavily bleeding wound. I swear to god she was the worst doctor yet. I screamed in blistering pain for the second time that day. Once she was done running the liquid in, she poured the green one in. This time, a cool-numbing sensation spread across by body. My vision swam and I felt dizzy. "Almost done, that was just a narcotic to numb the pain."

I yelled through gritted teeth. "Why didn't you use that first?!"

She tilted her head in thought for a second. "Huh, maybe that would have been smarter... Oh well." I wanted to say something back, but my words slurred. Ellen put a hand on my shoulder. "Just rest dearie. You're in safe hands."

I highly doubted that.

I struggled to stay awake, but I lost the fight and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Sorry about taking so long to get this next chapter out guys. I'm not the type of person who will use authors notes to say "Oh no, real life is getting in the way of me releasing your next fandom fix" so I won't say what happened because most people won't care anyway.**

 **Edit: He's so cripplingly unathletic that he sprained his wrist while walking his dog.**

 **... Traitor.**

 **Anyway! Thank you guys so much for the support you've been giving this story! I never thought it would actually get past chapter 3, but apparently people really like it. I'll try to get more chapters out whenever I can, but lets face it; I can't even adhere to a consistent college schedule so there's no WAY I'll ever get an uploading schedule pinned down. I'm trying to write little bits and pieces of future parts of the story so that when I actually get to them the thoughts and events will be organized and they'll be way better quality than stuff I just write to advance the plot. Events such as the ones dominating the next few chapters.**

 **Expect some good reads in the future.**

 **As always, try to have a good laugh today.**

 **-TheSurvivingComedian**


	7. Chapter 7: Bedrock Bay

**Chapter 7: Bedrock Bay**

* * *

 _To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world._

 _-Freya Stark_

* * *

Day 5

Bedrock Bay

* * *

I woke up and clutched my side. I was getting really sick of waking up in pain. I honestly hope this isn't going to be a regular thing. I rolled over and sat up, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I looked down and my abdomen to see a large bandage wrapped around me. There were bloodstains here and there, but not as much as I expected. I stood up and twisted around, testing my range of movement. The pain wasn't gone, but I could definitely move a lot more freely. Everything checked out just fine, really. I pulled up my arm and checked my stats;

Health: 89.4 / 120

Wow. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I mean, I knew medical brew was good at it's job but this was just impressive. I felt like taking the bandage off to check the damage, but decided against it. I wasn't a doctor, so I would wait to see how bad it was. I did a quick survey of myself instead. I was visibly pale, but not as much as before. My pants were still ripped and I was still missing shoes and my shirt. My bag still held what few belongings I had; my hatchet, club, waterskin, scorpion shells, and the journal. There was a visible scar running the length of my calf, with small dots where teeth had sunk in. My arms still had scratches that by now had scabbed over. Bruises were still apparent all over my body, but some had faded from yesterday. I sighed and closed my inventory, running a hand through my hair to counter the bed head. It was an inadequate counter. I slung the bag over my shoulder with ease and opened the window. Blinding light flooded the room as I got my first good view of the town.

The whole town was built around a narrow bay. The bay itself was formed from a narrow strip of land that jutted out from the island before curling back to form a shallow crescent. The mouth of the bay itself was actually rather narrow. So much in fact, that a bridge actually spanned the length of the opening. Along the peninsula were several buildings, ranging from stalls to larger buildings. All of them seemed to leave the middle of the inlet untouched to allow for a road to cut through. Along the ocean side were several docks, a few of which were harboring some form of watercraft. Everything from small canoes to larger sailboats. The harbor seemed rather empty, with there being more vacant spots than full ones. The side of the bay alongside the island seemed to be more residential, with a more open beach and smaller homes set back towards the tree line. The street bustled with people, many of whom were going to various shops and stalls. Down below the window, Mira was running around with Brownie hot on her heels. The monkey jumped up and tapped her back before running the opposite direction. Mira swerved and took off after the small mammal. It seemed they were playing tag.

I waved an arm and called down to her. "Morning kiddo!"

Mira stopped and looked around before spotting me. She made a face and stuck her tongue out at me stubbornly before continuing her game.

"Does this mean you're still grumpy?" I called sarcastically.

A voice rang from downstairs. "Don't just yell out the window like a fool! If you're gonna make a racket, come downstairs and do it face-to-face like proper people!"

I rolled my eyes and pulled my head back inside. I pushed open the door and made my way downstairs. A heavenly scent wafted up from the kitchen. As I walked through, my attention was drawn to the stove which was alive with cooking, everything from sizzling meat to fried eggs. A grumble escaped my stomach as I gazed at the food. I glanced around to see if Ellen was anywhere nearby. Satisfied that I was alone, I surveyed the bounty of food in front of me. There was quite a lot, much more than needed to feed only three people. "Just... ONE bite wouldn't hurt..." I reached out to pull a chunk of meat off the cutting board. I froze just before when a new sound filled the kitchen. At first I thought a chunk of fat had burst on the oven, releasing a hiss, but then I realized that I had heard it before. I stood there trying to remember when I last heard such a hiss when a glob of slime struck me in the back of my leg. I spun around and came face-to-knee with a brown dilo, frill open and hissing loudly. It's color made it blend in so well with the wooden walls of the kitchen that I hadn't noticed it when I entered. I reached into my bag and grabbed my club. I was in the middle of pulling it out when a loud smack rang through the room. I let go and clutched my now stinging hand before turning to my new attacker.

Ellen stood behind me with a wooden spoon raised high, ready to swing again. "Whadaya think you're doing, child? This food ain't free!" She smacked the spoon against her palm for emphasis. "And don't you dare get any ideas about hurting ol' Scrappy here." She pointed to the hissing lizard. "She might be old, but she can still take down a sting bean like yourself!" She pushed me towards the door. "Now get! This kitchen is for cooks only only!"

I held up my hands in surrender and walked towards the door. The dilo hissed and snapped at me as I passed. I quickly sidestepped it and darted through the doorway into the tavern. Several patrons were seated around the tables and bar.

One of them raised a hand and called out. "Oi, waiter! When's the grub coming up?"

I stood there confused. I glanced around before realizing he was speaking to me. I chuckled lightly and held up my hands. "Oh sorry. I don't actually work he-"

I was cut off as Ellen burst through the kitchen door with a platter of food. "Oh yes you do. You think I rent out rooms for charity?" She shoved the platter into my arms. "Now go pass these out to those fine gentlemen. The breakfast rush will be picking up soon, and I could use the extra waiter."

My eyes darted between the food in my arms, the angry elderly woman in front of me, and the expectant-looking customer of the tavern. I sighed, realizing I had no say in the matter, and obliged. For the next two hours, I ran food out of the kitchen and dishes back in. My stomach grumbled at the sight of all the plates of food in front of me, but I didn't dare try to sneak a bite from any of the plates. Such an attempt would either earn me another slap from the surprisingly painful wooden spoon, or a glare from the patrons, neither of which seemed worth risking. Upon finishing meals, customers would leave behind varying numbers of different sized teeth, presumably and hopefully taken from dinos. I couldn't guess what the reason for this was, but every patron was doing it so I figured it was normal. I amassed the dental haul in a basket behind the bar. When everyone had been served and the majority had left, I sat down at the bar to rest. I leaned on my arm on the table and shut my eyes for a moment. I snapped them open in surprise as a plate clattered in front of me. I looked down to see a steaming slab of meat with a side of eggs in front of me. Next to the plate were a few small teeth. I looked up to see Ellen standing with her arms crossed. "You learn quick, but your customer service is as lacking as it gets. That's your pay for the day."

I'm pretty sure I was drooling. I picked up a fork as dug in, wolfing down the meal. After the first few bites I slowed. A sparkle grew in my eye as I actually registered the taste. This was by far the best food I've tasted yet. Given most everything I've eaten so far was half-cooked or totally raw, that wasn't saying much. But it was still easily delicious. I chewed slower and savored the taste more, taking smaller bites.

As I ate, I held up one of the teeth and examined it. I opened my mouth to ask about it when the spoon smacked the table again. "Don't talk with your mouth full! Honestly child, do you have any manners?"

I swallowed and chuckled. "In a _manner_ of speaking, yes I do."

Ellen shook her head. "Oh, what am I going to do with you...?" She looked me up and down for a minute. "Well for starters, you can get some a new attire. Bloodstained rags are just not sanitary."

"And having a dino living in your kitchen is?"

She looked at me with a deadpan expression that matched her tone. "There's a shop towards the mouth of the bay that you can barter at to get some clothes on your back." She shooed me away with a wave from her spoon. "Make sure you're back before the lunch rush. You're still paying off your bills."

I rolled my eyes and got up from the bar. I slung my bag over my shoulder and pocketed the handful of small teeth. I was about to leave when I remembered I needed to check up on Catcher. I pushed through the swinging door of the tavern and walked around back. Mira had run off somewhere, probably into town. I would have preferred she stuck around where I could keep track of her, but I guess she could be trusted. After all she's been here before. I could hear voices as I rounded the tavern.

"It looks kinda stringy..."

"Did Ellen add it to her menu? Doesn't seem like her style..."

"The teeth would be a pretty profit. Maybe we could just pry them out." A snarl replied to the last comment.

I turned the corner to a duo of men examining Catcher, who was obviously displeased. I spoke up to announce my presence. "So what's going on back here?"

The first man was heavier-looking in both weight and muscle. He regarded me casually while he worked the muscles in his jaw, seemingly more interested in freeing something stuck in his teeth than me. The second man was lanky and moved with a lot more grace. Both men wore similar attire, finely woven hide vests dyed a deep green with matching cloth pants. The second man gave me a beaming smile as if I was a close friend. "Oh nothing. Or at least, nothing _you_ need to concern yourself with."

The hint in his voice was obvious. I glanced at Catcher who gave me a pleasing look. I nodded my head towards him. "Well, if it concerns him, it concerns me."

The man glanced between me and Catcher for a moment. "Is he yours?"

I actually had to think about that answer. I mean, Catcher was just kind of traveling with me. I didn't really consider him _mine._ I replied neutrally. "Yeah, he's with me."

The skinnier man glanced at the larger one, who simply continued to look at me with that bored expression. The second man turned back to me. "How much is he worth to ya?"

I tilted my head in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

The man pulled a couple teeth from his pocket and picked out a particularly large one. "How's this?"

Honestly I didn't really understand the significance of his offer. Was he trying to trade for Catcher with a large tooth? "I'm sorry, what?"

"Raptor meat isn't that expensive, so you could say my offer is rather generous. Mostly because me and my pal here are in the mood for it."

That clinched it. "Oh! Uh... sorry, but no."

A snort escaped from the man as he glanced to his cohort in disbelief. "No? What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean no, he's not for sale."

The larger man finally spoke up. "I haven't seen you before. You must be new around here. That would explain it." He walked over to me and slung an arm over my shoulders. I suppressed a gag as the stench of B.O. wafted from his figure. This man had obviously not washed himself recently. "You see, we're not the kind of people that you can just say _no_ to." He used his free hand to jab two fingers into my bandage, making me grunt in pain as he applied pressure to my still-healing wound. "So maybe you should rethink your mentality while we're still being generous."

Catcher growled at the men. The skinnier one turned and snapped at him. "Shut up, meat!" He whipped back to me, no longer friendly. "So stranger, what's it gonna be?"

I hesitated, not knowing what to say. These guys meant business, that much was obvious, but there was no way I was going to let them take Catcher. I had worked hard to keep him alive. I was trying to come up with the words when a third voice spoke up.

"The man said no, Bruce. Leave him be." The three of us turned to see another similarly dressed man leaning against the wall of the tavern. He wore a wide-brimmed leather hat that his half of his face. "You can bully the shopkeeps for the things you want only because they know it's necessary. Citizens like him are off limits."

The skinny man spoke up again. "Oh come on. We were just making a generous offer."

"An offer that he kindly declined, Brian." He looked at the man sideways. "Aren't you a 'master trader?' You should know when a deal's gone south."

Brian grunted. "Ugh, killjoy."

Bruce eyed the newcomer with disdain before releasing me from his arm. He patted my bandage harder than necessary, making me double over. "I'd say it was a pleasure doing business with you, but pleasure only comes from getting what I want." He waved for Brian to follow him. "We've got stuff to do. Come on."

Brian turned and spat in my direction as he walked past. "You got off easy this time. Don't expect that again."

The duo walked off into town, leaving me and the new guy. I watched him as he stood up and lifted a hand to his mouth. He let out a sharp whistle and stood expectantly. A moment later footsteps pounded around the corner as a new creature rounded it. It was about the size of a raptor, walking on two legs with small forelimbs, only it was very obviously not a lizard. The creature was covered in light tan feathers everywhere but it's long neck and legs. It had a massive, predatory-looking beak and large, three-toed feet set with wide talons. Like the dodos I've seen, this creature's wings seemed poorly developed for flight, yet still seemed muscular. The large bird was fitted with an array of straps securing a leather seat to its back. It trotted up to the man who promptly pulled himself up onto the saddle. He looked at me neutrally. "You alright there?"

I gave him a thumbs up as I rubbed my aching side. "Thanks for that."

The man nodded in response. "You might want to watch where you step around those brutes. They can make life hell for people they don't like." He urged his mount forward and began trotting off. He called back as he passed me. "Welcome to Bedrock Bay stranger."

I whipped around to try and catch him before he left. "Wait! Who are-" When I turned around, all that heard me was a light breeze. I glanced around to see where he went, but he was already gone. I frowned in disappointment and turned to Catcher. "You doing ok?" The lizard snorted in response. "So... good?" An audible grumble escaped his stomach. "So... not good. I'm heading into town now so I'll make sure to pick something up for you off I can. If I can't, well, you can have half of my food today. How's that?" It occurred to me that I'm trying to speak intelligently to an animal who very likely had little to no concept of speech. I was about to laugh it off when I noticed Catcher's excited expression. I tilted my head in disbelief that he had actually understood all that. I shook the thought out of my head. Like Joe said, there isn't time for questions we can't get answers to. With a quick wave goodbye, I turned and walked into town.

* * *

Now that the town had really woken up, the bustling streets were drowned by the sounds of commerce. Alongside the main road were plenty of shops and stalls selling various wares; everything from fish to household tools to handmade trinkets. Each stall had its own vendor calling out deals and special offers. Several townspeople walked the street, going from shop to shop. People of all ages, even children bartered with the vendors. Honestly it seemed rather busy, as if the town was packed energy. Then again, it's not like I had any towns to compare it to so as far as I knew this was normal. I _was_ in the shopping district, so I guess this would be the louder half of town. As I walked, I noticed various people hanging fliers and decorative streamers. Everything from paper cutouts of fish to wind chimes made of shark teeth. I got so caught up in the process that I walked headfirst into a large mass in front of me. I staggered back a step and got a better look at what I had bumped into. It was a four-legged dinosaur that was drinking out of a large well in the center of the road. The creature was large, but not the largest I had seen. It bore a heavy resemblance to a Trike, but lacked to frontal horns. Instead it had a thick, bony plate for a forehead and a much more intricate crest around it's shield. The creature was laden with saddlebags and merchandise that jangled about as the lizard turned to face whatever annoyance had interrupted its drink. I held my hands up innocently as the lizard regarded me with little interest. With a snort it shook its head quickly before turning back to the water. I was about to continue walking when a terrible odor penetrated my nose. I pinched my nose shut and staggered backward a few steps. The creature must have let out a repulsive smell to make me back off; gross, but effective. I coughed and waved my hand to try and disperse the stench in front of me. "Aww man. And I thought dilos smelled bad..."

"Yeah, it keeps the predators away _and_ makes for a good alarm system. Maybe you'll think twice next time."

I looked up at the source of the voice. A man was casually leaning against the side of the creature with a stern look on his face. I gave him a look of confusion. "Excuse me?"

The man pointed an accusatory finger at me. "Don't think I don't know what you were up to. The old accidentally-bump-into-a-fella-and-slip-your-hands-into-their-pockets-all-sneaky-like trick. That little stunt won't go over well with a pachy rhino." He patted the side of the creature. "These guys let out a stink powerful enough to ward off the worst carnivores if something gets in their personal space." He eyed me with hostility. "Great for catching little thieves like yourself. Now put 'em up. Show your hands!"

I quickly complied, eager to rectify this misunderstanding. "I'm pretty sure you have the wrong idea here..."

"I'll be the judge of that." He quickly patted down my figure, looking for anything that I might have stolen off of his dino. He was uncomfortably thorough in his search, successfully making me conscious of my _own_ personal space. He pulled off my bag and began rifling through it, tossing aside anything in the way. He pulled out the journal and callously tossed it out. I lunged and caught it before it hit the ground, taking care not the damage the pages. I turned to the man as he finished digging, ready to give the paranoid merchant a piece of my mind. He cut me off as I opened my mouth. "Wrist. Now." I stood there in confusion. The man sighed in frustration and pulled my arm towards him, flipping the implant to face him. He peered into it for a moment as light sparked out of it. I was about to yank my arm back when he dropped it on his own. "You're clean."

I gave the man an incredulous look. "So what were you saying about personal space?"

The man shrugged. "I can't risk losing merchandise this close to the Festival. Especially when it comes from so far north." He leveled his eyes at me. "Just because you didn't actually take anything doesn't mean I believe you didn't _try_."

I wanted to justify myself, but honestly I was not in the mood to care all that much. I picked up my belongings and slung my satchel over my shoulder. I waved my hand in dismissal and turned to walk off. "Whatever man. Believe what you want."

The man paused a moment. "Wait." I turned back to him and raised an eyebrow. He pointed to my bag. "That chitin in your bag is scorpion. High-quality stuff too. How much you want for it?"

I cocked my head to the side. "I'm sorry?"

The man pulled a pouch off his belt and poured several dinosaur teeth into his hand. He counted out a few before dropping the rest in the pouch. He extended his hand with the teeth towards me. "How's this?"

I stared at the dental handful in front of me in confusion. Why did it seem like everyone just had randomly pulled dino teeth on them? This was the second time someone had tried to give me teeth for something. Surely insect shells were worth more than a couple teeth. In fact, I couldn't even think of what pulled teeth would be useful for. A particularly gruesome line of jewelry? The shells could at least be used to make tools or maybe even sections of armor with the larger chunks. I held up my hand and shook my head to decline. "Sorry, but no deal."

The man scoffed in disbelief and rolled his eyes before pocketing the teeth once more. "Suit yourself. You seem like someone who needs all the teeth they can get."

I frowned at the obvious insult but didn't actually know what he meant by that. I shook my head and continued walking towards my destination. The well was actually quite large, taking up so much space that the road actually split around it before reconnecting on the opposite side. As I looked about, it seemed that most of the major shops were concentrated around this circle, effectively creating a town center. I glanced at each of the shops, looking for one related to my interests. Each storefront either had an obvious name denoting what kind of wares it sold, or an equally obvious sign. My gaze landed on a an image crudely drawn shirt under a needle and thread. "Bingo." I strode across the circle and through the door of the shop.

The door squeaked heavily as it opened, grabbing the shopkeeper's attention. She turned to me and smiled. "Welcome! Let me know if you need help with anything."

I gazed around the room at the various wares. Several styles and articles of clothing were hung from hooks or displayed on shelves. "I'm just looking for something simple to wear. Preferably something more than what I have on now." I gestured to my attire which consisted of tattered pants, no shoes, and only bandages covering my lower torso.

She nodded. "What kind of price range are you looking at?"

I paused. Price range? I dug into my bad and pulled out the shells. "What can I get for these?"

The woman frowned and walked over. "Normally we don't barter here, but we're actually short on chitin this month in our armor section." She flipped the pieces over, appraising them. "I'll see what I can get you for theses." She took the shells and walked behind the counter into a back room before returning with a measuring stick of some kind. "Stand up straight and hold still for a moment dear." I complied as she held the stick up and got some measurements. "You're a bit on the skinny side, but you're tall and have wide shoulders. So maybe a large in shirts. Definitely a large in shoes. Pants we'll have to see." She pulled away and walked around the store, pulling various articles off the shelves. "You know, normally I wouldn't be giving out such a good deal, but with the festival going on I can make an exception."

I raised an eyebrow. "Festival?"

She stopped and gave me an amused look. "I'm talking about Fish Fest, silly. We get tourists from all over looking to participate." She gave me a questioning look. "Isn't that why you're here?"

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm just passing through. The Fest sounds cool though."

She looked at me strangely before shaking her head. She walked over to me and handed me the bundle of clothes. She pointed to a room in the back. "There's a fitting room if you need it. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Thanks." I walked to the back of the store and entered the small room. I set the clothes down and began pulling off my tattered pants. No sooner than I pulled them below my waist did the seam begin to unravel. As I pulled my legs out, the pair of pants completely fell apart. I frowned at the tattered cloth on the floor. "Welp... guess those are done." I pulled out the new pair and slipped them on. They were made of a tougher material, probably leather or hide, but still remained flexible. They fit rather tightly around the waist, but were otherwise just fine. I slipped on the shoes, which were made from a similar material, that seemed reminiscent of the shoes I had before. It occurred to me that probably all of the clothes Joe had given me were bought at this very store. They seemed a bit on the large side, but I could tighten them with a strap. I held the shirt out and looked it over. It was very white, much more than the one I lost, even though they were the same material. This one must have been dyed. I raised my arms to slip it over my head when I heard a light tear. I cursed under my breath and quickly pulled off the shirt, examining it. I flipped it back and forth, looking for a tear, when I felt something dangling at my side. I glanced down and let out a sigh of relief as I realized that it was my bandages that tore and not the shirt. The thin cloth fibers hung limply off of where they tore. I gradually pulled them off, wincing as dried blood peeled away from raw skin. I balled up the filthy bandage and put it in the bag to dispose of later. I ran my hand over the skin, testing it. It was sore, was extremely sensitive, and was surrounded in a nasty bruise, but the wound had closed entirely. Left behind was a crooked scar that stretched from my lower midsection to my side. "Ellen wasn't lying when she said it wasn't going to be clean... damn." I worked my arms and stretched in several directions to confirm my freedom of movement. Satisfied, I pulled the new shirt over my head and tested the fit. It was a little small, but not so much that I would have to watch how I bent over. I pulled up my implant and looked over the image of myself. My hair was still a mess, I was covered in dirt, and probably could use a good wash. I turned and sniffed my lifted armpit, nose crunching at the smell. Ok, _really_ needed a wash. I put down my arm and pushed open the door.

The shopkeeper turned and gave me an appraising look. She waved her hand. "Turn around." I spun slowly, waiting for her verdict. "Hmmm... I guessed the pants perfectly. They really show off that butt of yours."

If the heat beneath my collar was any indication, I'm pretty sure I blushed hard. I quickly finished the turn and faced her. "Ok. Alright. Good to know. Got any other pants?"

She laughed and waved off my concern. "Oh, I'm just kidding with you. Tourists are always great fun to mess around with."

I smiled and laughed it off. "You could say I was the _butt_ of that joke."

The shopkeeper tried to contain her laughter but only ended up releasing a snort, causing even more laughter to build before erupting in a fit of giggles. "Oh my. Get out of my shop before I die of laughter."

I winked and pointed finger guns at her. "Thanks, I'm here all week." Her laughing intensified before fading away as I left the shop. I glanced up at the sky, shielding my eyes from the sudden brightness. The sun had climbed to the peak of its arc; midday. My heart skipped a beat as I realized something. "Oh shit. I was supposed to be back before lunch." I bolted from the shopfront and down the street. I wove in and out of people in my mad dash, shouting apologies to people that I passed. As I sprinted a smell caught my nose. Up ahead a stall selling fresh meat was cooking away. I slid to a stop in front of it. "Hey, what do you want for a slice of raw meat?"

The vendor looked up from the spit he was roasting meat on. "Raw? One medium."

I looked at him confused. "... Medium what?"

The vendor just looked at me like I had just asked what color the sky was. "Teeth, kid. One medium tooth. I don't have change, so nothing big."

I paused in confusion while the man looked at me expectantly. I reached into my bag and dug through for the handful of teeth Ellen handed me this morning. I pulled them out and sorted through them, separating a larger one from the rest and handing it to him. "This?"

The vendor took the tooth and inspected it for a moment before pocketing it. He pulled out a hatchet at grabbed one of the fish displayed in a bin. He placed it on a cutting board and sliced off a sizable fillet, handing it to me. "You sure you want it raw?"

I nodded, tossing the slab of fish into my bag. "It's not for me." I turned and ran towards the Drunken Dilo, hoping Ellen wouldn't kill me for being late.

* * *

I pushed open the swinging door. "Sorry-" I flinched as a loud crack silenced the bar. I looked to the side to find a wooden spoon steadily vibrating after being thrown with enough force to embed itself in the doorframe. Upon closer inspection, there were several similar holes in that part of the wall and door. Holy shit this woman had a good throwing arm. I turned back to Ellen whose face was more red than the meat she served.

"You're late!" She pulled open a drawer behind the counter and produced another identical spoon. She wound up for another throw. "And not nearly as sorry as you're going to be."

I held up my arms in defense. "Ok! Point made! Lesson learned! Please stop throwing kitchen utensils!"

She whipped her arm downward, smacking the spoon against the counter with enough force to send a spiderweb of cracks spreading across it. "You get your sorry ass into the kitchen or it'll be the next thing I throw across this room!"

I quickly darted around the bar and into the back room where several plates of food were waiting to be run out to tables. Ellen actually had a really ingenious setup for her restaurant. The kitchen itself had all manner of cooking utensils and stations for preparing food, but what really impressed me was how easy she seemed to make it for her servers. Beside the door was a large, square countertop. Engraved in the counter was a map of the tavern's layout, complete with tables and seats. Each time Ellen finished preparing a plate, she would put it on the picture of whatever table ordered it so servers would know where and who to take the food to. It was simple, yet really smart and unique; a trait I hadn't seen a lot of so far. I scooped up an armful of plates going to the same table and pushed my way through the door. I made a point to avoid looking at Ellen who was no doubt staring daggers into me. Or staring spoons. Both sound equally deadly at this point. I walked around the bar and placed the plates down on front off the customers. All of them gave me looks that seemed like a mix of pity and amusement. I tried to give some semblance of positive service. "Enjoy guys."

I received a few grunts in response and even a few chuckles. I had no idea if that was the right thing to do or not. I walked back to grab the next round of plates when Ellen smacked me in the back of my head so hard I saw spots. "You'd better move faster than that!" She raised the spoon threateningly. "I swear, if even ONE of my customers complains about cold food..."

I'm pretty sure I paled whiter than a stimberry. This woman was god damn terrifying when she was angry. Hell, she was scary even when she _wasn't_ pissed off. And she always seemed pissed off. A chuckle arose from the other side of the bar as I turned to push open the kitchen door. I glanced at the source to see a man in a broad-rimmed hat. He glanced up at me. "You're just a magnet for trouble, ain't ya stranger?" My eyes widened as I recognized the man from earlier. I opened my mouth to reply when another loud crack caused me to jump.

"NOW string bean."

I dashed through the kitchen door. "Got it."

"Excuse me? You'll say 'Yes ma'am' to me, understand?"

"Got-" She raised the spoon again and I gulped. "I mean, yes ma'am." I shut the door and let out a sigh as I picked up more plates. "This is going to be a long day..."

* * *

A few hours, bruises, and spoon-related property damages later, I collapsed onto a barstool after the last customer had been served. The tavern had substantially cleared out, leaving only one or two people. My brain didn't know what to think; I was tired enough to sleep, yet pumped with adrenaline out of fear of a spoon attack. Ultimately a rumble from my stomach focused me. Behind the counter, Ellen was scraping the unfinished contents off of plates and into a bin on the floor. Scraps happily munched on the... well... scraps of food. That name suddenly made sense. I hesitated for a while before speaking up. "So uh... about today..."

"If you ever walk in late again, don't expect to walk out. Am I clear?" She didn't wait for my response. "Oh, and I bet you're expecting a meal." She pulled out a clean plate and scooped out a portion of scraps from the bin before unceremoniously dropping the dish in front of me. "Eat up. And don't expect teeth today."

I made a face at the slop in front of me, swiftly losing my appetite. I glanced at the dilo, who was hungrily devouring the same thing. I looked back at the plate in front of me, considering it. "Well, so long as it's not a giant bug..." I poked at the slop for a bit, trying to work up the nerve to take a bite. I thought of something that I wanted to ask earlier. "By the way, what's the deal with teeth? I mean, they don't seem useful, but everyone has them or wants them."

A patron sitting a seat down from me chuckled. "What rock did you crawl out from? You've never used teeth before?"

I turned to see the man in the hat was still sitting at the bar. I chuckled as I came up with a response. "Not knowing things is really the _root_ of my problems nowadays. People have to try pretty hard to make a _dent-al_ in my stupidity." I smiled at my own string of jokes.

The man stared at me in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" A smile broke across his face as he shook in quiet laughter. "Just what this town needs; a stand-up comedian."

I laughed with him, confident that I made a better impression than when we first met. "By the way, I never got your name."

He spun his stool to face me and extended a hand. "The name's Chester."

I returned the handshake. "Francis."

"Teeth are a substitute in trading. Say you want something from someone, but you don't have what they need. So you give them teeth which they can use in a trade with someone else to get what they need. Sure, they aren't useful in a survival sense, but they have a sort of imagined value. They can't be made by man, are produced slowly, and only be obtained by working for them. Bigger teeth come from bigger, more dangerous creatures and therefore have higher value due to the effort to obtain them. Obviously people can refuse taking teeth as a trade, but we've all kind of accepted them as our means of currency." He eyed me for a minute. "You ain't just new to town, your new to the island, aren't ya?"

Ellen chimed in from down the bar where she was washing glasses. "String Bean stumbled into my bar late last night. He's working off his room fees. I had to put him and poor Mira up for the night."

"Mira?" He glanced around the bar before leaning in, voice low. "You mean Joe's little rascal?"

Ellen nodded. I looked between the two confused. "I was under the impression that Joe liked to keep to himself."

Chester leaned on the bar casually. "Oh, he did. To be honest I only met the guy once or twice. He only stopped in for a day or so at a time. He liked to sit at the bar and chat with Ellen here. Not much anymore though. There was a bounty placed on the man a while back. 'Jahova the Informer.' An old bearded geezer living alone. Probably traveling with a young girl." He pointed to the notice board. Half of it was covered with various drawings of people, all with descriptions and a reward for information. Joe's had one of the highest numbers on the board. My eyes widened when they settled on the paper. Joe had a bounty? What had he done wrong? Was he a criminal? Chester noticed my expression. "You know, there's quite a few people here who wouldn't mind taking a crack at that bounty. Of course, no one really knows where is nowadays, so not many do. But if word got around that, say, someone had some information on the geezer..." He looked at me pointedly.

"Well it's a good thing that _I_ don't know anything about him. Just because Mira's with me doesn't mean I know what part of the beach his hut was on or anything. I mean I don't _know_ it's a beach hut. Or even on the beach. It could be... I'm not being at all convincing, am I?" I spoke way too fast, erasing any chance at a strong denial.

Chester simply smiled and laughed. "I'm just toying with you. I already know Joe still swings by this tavern now and again." He shrugged. "I mean, it's my job to know what goes on in this town. Ellen hasn't given him up yet, and she's the best judge of character this side of he island. Personally that's all the reason I need not to say anything." I tilted my head in confusion at him and he clarified. "Some other fellas and I do what we can to keep the town in order. Usually keeping out anything or anyone that would harm it."

Ellen scoffed. "Oh get off your high horse. You've done nothing but sit on your ass and drink my beer. Lord knows those cheapskates parading around town are doing more than you. And they're probably as much of a problem as the things you claim to protect us from!" She leaned on the bar across from him. "Do you think Pepper would have wanted you drinking your problems away?"

Chester's smile dropped and his tone darkened. "Just 'cause you've been around a while doesn't mean you know everything Ellen."

"Maybe not, but I know my best waitress wouldn't have fallen in love with the sad sight sitting at my bar right now."

Chester slammed a fist on the bar and stood up. "You shut your damn trap. I don't need this from you." He turned and went for the door.

"You haven't paid yet."

Chester slammed open the door. "Put it on my tab."

Ellen yelled out the swinging door. "If your tab gets any deeper you'll have to drop a megalodon jaw on this counter!" She sighed and sat down in a chair behind the bar. "Oh, that boy. He's on one hell of a slippery slope." She turned to me. "Sorry about that. He's needed a talking to for a good long while." I still looked at her confused. She sighed. "Lemme tell you a story..."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Holy. Shit. I can't say sorry enough. It's been 3 weeks since aWoTaS had an update and WOW is that not ok. I was writing this and the next chapter like they were going to be the same one, but then it just kept getting longer and longer and I didn't know where I wanted one part to end and another start and it just took a really long time. Also with a lot of hype over the local sports team doing well, the bar I work in has had me work some pretty intense shifts this month. That coupled with the amount of mid-semester projects and essays I have been unbelievably busy. Also someone left a negative review. Twice. And that made me sad. But at the same time a crapton of people clicked the follow button in this past month and that makes me really happy. Honestly guys if you really want to support the story, make sure to hit that like button and subscribe-**

 **Wait, wrong form of media.**

 **Make sure you guys favorite or follow the story or leave a review. Even if the review is _constructively_ negative. Nothing makes me want to write more than knowing that you guys are enjoying aWoTaS. Honestly I hope I never have so much outside interference that prevents me from getting more chapters out to you guys.**

 **Edit: And it's _totally_ not because so many games are doing their Halloween events right now and you've been spending all your free time on those, right?**

 **Exactly. I would _never_ put $40-worth of Overwatch loot crates and 100 hours of Ark above my amazing readers. Probably. Everyone ignore the fact that I have every Halloween skin, voice line, and highlight intro in Overwatch.**

 **Don't give me that look. When you get play of the game as pumpkin reaper or tombstone bastion _then_ you're allowed to judge.**

 **On a more story-related note, welcome to Bedrock Bay everyone! The famous fishing village and site of intense character development and world building! If you look at the Ark map you'll notice that really thin peninsula on the western coast about halfway up. That's where the town is built. I've said before that I intend the island to be much larger in the story than in-game, but this particular location is actually quite similar to its canon counterpart. While the mainland side will be flatter to allow for building and the thin strip of land forming the bay will be wider for the same reason, the actual size of the mouth and bay contained within will be the same, if not smaller or shallower. There's a reason for that, trust me.**

 **I have, what? 6891 words already written in the next chapter? And I'm STILL not done with it? Ugh. Anyway, I hope these chapters will have been worth the wait. Hopefully such a massive gap won't happen again.**

 **As always, you've been a great audience, try to have a good laugh today.**

 **-TheSurvivingComedian**


	8. Chapter 8: Shipwreck

**A/N: Warning! This chapter contains heavy violence, blood, really heavy feels, and bad pickup lines.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Shipwreck**

* * *

 _The man who has experienced shipwreck shudders even at a calm sea._  
 _-Ovid_

* * *

Five years ago

Bedrock Bay

From another perspective...

* * *

I hopped out of bed. Stars still dotted the sky, but that's the prime time to get out on the water. The sun would be up soon, and I needed to be the first one in the water. I slipped on my fishing clothes quietly, careful not to wake the sleeping figure still in bed. She had a late night at the tavern, she deserved to sleep in. I brushed aside a lock of her red hair and snuck a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back in a few hours, Pep." He turned to leave the room but a hand caught his wrist.

"Just because you like waking up with a beautiful woman doesn't mean I like waking up at the buttcrack of dawn."

I mentally berated myself for getting greedy with my romances. I turned to face my wife, Pepper. "Sorry hon, I wanted to let you sleep in."

She waved a finger sarcastically. "Tsk tsk. Waking me up when I've got twice the sleeping I need to do... it's like you're trying to earn a night sleeping on the boat." She gazed at me playfully. It never ceased to amaze me how often I could get lost in her eyes. Such a deep blue, they matched the ocean I spend my days on. Each time I looked at the water I thought of her. She chuckled. "You're staring again, Salt."

I smiled at the pet name. Her name was Pepper, so she thought it would be clever to call me Salt because I worked on the sea. "Alright, alright." I got up to leave. I stopped in the doorway and turned around. "You know, I should charge you rent."

She looked at me confused. "What? Why?"

I winked. "Because you _occupy_ my thoughts." She laughed and threw a pillow at me. I dodged dramatically and let it harmlessly bounce off the door. "See you at the Dilo Pep!" I left the bedroom and shut the door. I walked into our kitchen and surveyed the room. I've been saving up money for an expansion to the house; a nursery. It was going to be a surprise, but I couldn't where I wanted to build it. I couldn't build it off the kitchen for obvious reasons, but the only other room to build off of would be the bedroom. If I did that we'd lose the majority of closet space, or I'd build out into the yard, neither of which sounded good. On one hand I'd have an angry wife, on the other I'd have a restricted play space for a kid to run around. I weighed the options against each other before giving up. It'd be well past noon by the time I made a decision.

I stepped out the door and into the street. The town was still quiet this early in the morning; not many lights were lit. The few sounds being made were fellow fishermen setting up their kits for the day. I had set mine up late last night to get an early lead. My net was folded and secured in the back, I had a few spears and hooks tied down, and I even had a fresh bucket of meat. I stepped across the beach and onto the dock across from the house. I began untying my fishing boat from the dock. It was a humble craft; a wide, shallow platform with a single square sail. Once it was free, I stepped down onto the bobbing boat. I grabbed hold of the rudder and pushed off the dock, propelling me into the bay. I pulled out a long paddle and stuck it deep into the water. The bay itself was actually quite shallow, only about 10 meters deep at its lowest. With the mouth of the bay being angled adjacent to the waves, this meant that the water was unusually calm. As long as nothing to dangerous drifted in, this made the bay a great casual swimming and fishing spot. But casual fishing wasn't my job. I was partially responsible for feeding half the town. And with Fish Fest coming up, I needed to be in my A-game. I pushed myself along until I was through the mouth of the bay. On the open ocean, the wind was strong enough for sailing. I unfurled the sail and tied it in place. The morning wind caught against the pale cloth, pulling my boat along. I turned the rudder and steered out towards deeper water. Normally, Trilobite hunting wasn't my forte, but I brought a few cages along to get the most out of the day. I kicked them off one by one, letting them sink to the bottom. They were tied to a painted log buoy that floated to the surface. I left them behind while I floated out to my usual fishing spot. It was a well sought-after spot; just above an ocean current. The current was just deep enough that it wouldn't pull ships on the surface, but shallow enough that one could lower a long enough net into it. All I had to do was let out the net and wait while the fish got dragged into it by the current. Easy teeth. Once I was satisfied with my positioning, I rolled up the sail and slowed to a stop. I unfolded my net and attached the corners to two hooks on the side. I dropped the net into the water and let it sink. It unfolded to its full size as the current caught it. Now that the trap was in place, all I had left to do was bait it. I pulled the lid off the bucket of meat, releasing the smell of raw fish. If I was going for anything larger than coelacanth, I would have just dumped it in. But coels tend to go for smaller food, anything they can get in their mouth, really. I pulled out my hatchet and a slab of meat, laying the raw cut on the bed of the boat. I began chopping the meat into fine cubes before tossing them into the water. As I prepared the chum, splashes drew my attention. Beside the boat a fin was cutting through the surface of the water. Not large enough to be a megalodon; those generally ignore boats. It was an Icthyosaurus, a large, curious fish. They were rather social, swimming up to boats and even swimmers on occasion. It was not uncommon for highly experienced fishermen to even ride them to chase down larger prey. The fish surfaced curiously, swimming alongside the boat and watching. I smiled at it and pulled out a slab of fish. The creature's eyes locked on to the potential meal. I stood up and waggled it in my hand before tossing it in the air. The fish dove quickly before surfacing with enough speed to launch out of the water. The meat landed in its open mouth as its momentum carried it clear over the boat before splashing down on the opposite side. Satisfied, the Icthy swam off into the depths. My smile persisted as I finished tossing the remaining chum into the water. It was always good to feed an Icthy. It was a kind of symbolic way of giving back to the ocean that feeds our families. It was just an old fishing practice, but I still did it for good luck.

With the net in place, I sat down against the mast and pulled my hat down over my eyes to catch a nap. I was quite fond of this hat, I'd had it for a few years now. It was actually the first thing I found after waking up on these beaches. It was half-buried in the sand, probably tossed up by the sea. I feel bad for the fisherman who lost it, it was high-quality and stylish. It was stitched from a fine, brown leather. Waterproof too, so probably beaver hide. It was wide-brimmed all around, but curled upwards on the sides. My implant labeled it as a 'hunter's hat,' and, given my profession, it found an almost permanent place upon my head. I usually used it to keep the sun off, but I made sure never to miss a sunrise. A brilliant yellow blossomed across the sky as the sun climbed over the horizon. The light illuminated the serene blue tint that made up the ocean around me. A gentle warmth bathed over me as the sun climbed higher. Satisfied, I pulled my hat back down and shut my eyes.

Things were looking just fine in my little slice of paradise.

* * *

I woke up to more splashing sounds. I tipped up my hat to identify the source. Not far off was another boat. I chuckled lightly. "Amateurs. You don't set up right next to another boat. Especially not when this boat has the prime spot." I leaned forward to check the net. I peered into the clear water to see a limp net, almost entirely empty. I glanced about to double check what I could have done wrong. I had chummed the water, laid out the net, closed the sail to prevent drifting, and set up on the current. I didn't understand why I had moved. A thought struck me and I looked over towards the other fishing boat. They were directly over my spot. I inspected the side of my boat. Several chips and dents were visible in the side. Normally a fisherman would chalk this up to wear and tear, but I just had this boat repaired this week. I looked back to the other watercraft. A pair of older men manned the boat, newcomers that must have traveled in for Fish Fest. One of them was tossing meat into the sea, not bothering to chum it. The other however, was holding a long fishing spear, much like my own. The tip matched the marks poked into the side of my ship. "Those sneaky rats... they pushed me out of my spot." I stood up, ready to give them a piece of my mind, when I noticed what grave mistake they were making. I had already chummed those waters, their net had to be full by now. Yet they were still tossing meat out. Worse still, they weren't breaking it down into smaller bites to attract smaller fish. The large chunks combined with the trapped bounty within the net...

They were inadvertently building an all-you-can-eat buffet.

I stumbled slightly as the water beneath my boat swelled from movement. I looked down as a large shadow passed beneath me. I watched it as it made its way towards the other fishermen. A fin broke the water, creating wakes with its speed. The fin was far too large to be an Icthy. I cupped my hands over my mouth. "SHARK!"

The fishermen reacted to my warning too late. They turned just as the massive creature breached the surface and collided with the boat. Wood splintered and cracked under the weight and force of the attack, shattering the hull of the craft. The men screamed as the tumbled into the water. The fish dove to give itself an angle to make another run. The men scrambled to cling to the quickly sinking wreckage of their boat. I waved to them frantically. "Over here! Swim to me!" The men looked to each other in indecisively, unable to decide what to do. One of the men made the split decision to make a dash towards my boat. As soon as he let go of the wreckage, the surface erupted in a flurry of brine and teeth. The man shrieked as the shark's jaws closed over his abdomen. His anguish was short lived, as with one quick thrash of the beasts powerful jaws the man was ripped in two, tainting the water red. The monstrous fish's jaws clamped down on the remains, dragging them beneath the waves. The other man was frozen in shock, staring helplessly at the carnage in front of him. He desperately clung to the mast of the capsized boat and cried out for help.

I cursed under my breath. There was no way he could swim the distance between us. I scrambled around my boat, pulling up the net and lowering the sail. I turned the rudder hard and steered towards the shattered craft. I pushed the paddle through the water as hard as my muscles would allow, gaining as much speed as I could. The megalodon would need a minute to chew its food, but it would be a short minute. I approached the wreckage, not bothering to slow down. If I didn't get the man on this run, then he would be on his own; I wasn't going to risk dying out here too. Once I was properly angled, I glanced out towards the water. The shadow was making another run and gaining fast. I leaned out towards the panicking man. "Jump! You've only got one shot!" The man looked at me then back at the shark. His eyes widened as he saw it approach. He closed his eyes and leaped towards my speeding craft. He leaped too early however, and only caught his torso on the side of my boat. I reached down and grabbed his arms, pulling him out of the water, but I was too slow. The side of my boat collided with the wreckage of theirs, crushing the man's legs between them. The man screamed in pain as the boats ground against each other, emitting sickening cracks of both wood and bone. I pulled hard, trying to free him from the trap, only to notice too late that the shark had finished it's charge. It collided with the remaining wreckage, shattering it to pieces. It caught the man in its open mouth and swallowed over half his body in one bite. I fell back as the force of the collision rocked my boat sideways. Had my boat been any thinner, I would have rolled right off the edge. I looked down at the man to find only his severed arms laying on the floor. I gagged and kicked the bloody limbs back into the water. I glanced around for the paddle only to spy it floating several meters away. There was no way I could grab it without swimming, and that wasn't an option. The sail was still intact, but the wind could only provide so much speed.

I had just lost my only means of escape.

"Dammit... DAMMIT!" I punched the mast of my boat in frustration before glancing around for anything to use. All I had left were spears and my net. I turned the rudder towards shore and and let the sail catch the wind. I surveyed the water for movement before spotting the large shadow circling around. It seemed to be debating whether to keep attacking or not. I picked up a spear and held it defensively, pointing at the fish. As it circled, gears turned in my head, trying to form a plan. _Carcharodon Ultramegalodon_ were little more that colossal missiles of teeth and muscle. They turn slowly, but get up to terrifying speeds. Coupled with their intimidating size and bite force, these sharks are at the top of the food chain in the water. Any experienced fisherman knows to avoid practices that attract these beasts unless they are equipped to hunt such a creature. They only safe solace a sailor can have from these beasts is in the shallow waters that they avoid. I was still quite far off from the shallows, however. The shark made an aggressive turn before diving beneath my boat. I leaned over and speared the water, trying to get a hit off on it. The spear barely grazed the back of the creature, hardly scratching it. The fish made a wide turn to try and intercept the path of my ship. At this rate, I would never outrun it. I had to buy time for me to reach the shore. I dropped the spear and grabbed onto the net. I tossed the few dying fish back into the ocean to lighten it as I untangled it. Once I had it reasonably opened up, I folded it lightly and held it out. I surveyed the water until I spotted the shark still making its turn. I did a mental calculation, wound up, and hurled the net across the water. The spin of the throw unfolded the net to its full size before it landed in the path of the beast. Unable to turn, the shark swam right into the net, ensnaring itself. It didn't stop the creature, but it thrashed around, slowing considerably. I pumped my fist in triumph. "Chew on THAT you dumbass fish!" My excitement was short-lived. Despite its movement being impaired, the shark kept turning into the path of my ship before attempting to charge. It was slow enough that it wouldn't destroy my craft in a single good hit, but its size could still flip it. I leaned on the rudder and rotated the sail, pulling the boat into a turn. I lost speed, but changed course considerably. When fighting anything, moving unpredictably was always a good strategy. The shark made a move to follow my movement. I picked up another spear and pointed it at the shadow. I pulled my arm back, planted my feet, and steadied my aim. "Come on you saw-toothed demon of a fish... give me a shot..." The shark lined up and thrashed its tail, propelling it through the water. "Come on... lemme see those eyes." The shark was gaining speed as it zeroed in. It reared back, opened it's mouth, and lunged, breaking the surface of the water with its speed. I smiled as it revealed its weak spot. I'd been throwing spears and other ranged equipment for years, no one was a better shot than me. "Now don't blink!" I leaned forward hard and hurled the spear through the air. It whistled softly before striking true to its target. The shark recoiled as the spear tip pierced through its eye. It slowed down even more and thrashed in pain. I smiled in success, only for that smile to drop even faster. The injured creature was determined to attack, and blindly snapped in front of it. I reached down for more spears only to find the boat empty. I jumped back as the megalodon's jaws crashed down on the back of the boat, destroying the rudder and locking the rear within it's jaws. The craft groaned and squeaked under the stress, but held firm. I patted myself down for something to use and found my hatchet still clinging to my belt. I grasped the handle and swung hard, embedding the tool in the shark's snout. The beast thrashed in frustration, rocking the boat and throwing me back. I collided hard against the mast and saw stars. I struggled to get up off the floor, but the boat tipped again and made me roll once more. I teetered dangerously over the edge, nearly going into the water. Dazed, I realized this was it. I was going to die here. The ocean was finally going to take me into its deep blue depths. The serene blue that I came to admire every morning. The blue that always reminded me of something else. Of SOMEONE else.

Someone I damn well was going to fight for.

I grabbed onto the mast to pull myself up on the rocking ship. I eyed the thrashing shark at the end of the boat. "Hey there, fella. I don't mean to be rude..." I took a stumbling step towards it. "... But I'm afraid we're gonna have to cut this short." I tripped but caught the side of the boat, keeping myself upright. " 'cause you see, if I wash up half eaten and dead on the shore..." I reached the end of the boat. "... then Pepper'll kill me, and we can't have that. So if you'd be so kind..." I raised my boot over its snout. "And GET. OFF. MY. BOAT." I brought my foot down on the blade of the hatchet still lodged in its nose. Each words was punctuated by another stomp. The handle splintered and snapped but the sharp stone wedged ever deeper. The fish thrashed and snapped in pain. If sharks had vocal organs I'm sure it'd be roaring it's lungs out at me. It thrashed in pain, but more in anger. I stumbled slightly, but was determined to win this fight. I reached down and snapped off the weakened handle of the hatchet. In one swift movement, I braced myself on the beast's face and rammed the splintered hilt deep into the shark's remaining eye. It bucked hard and rocked the boat forward, throwing me back to the front. I caught myself on the mast this time, bracing myself to keep fighting. When I turned back, the now-blind megalodon released the rear-end of the boat and thrashed away, smacking the splintered rudder with it's tail. The muscled limb smashed the weakened section, sending wood flying. I held my hands up against the incoming debris, but a plank got through, impacting the side of my head. The last thing I saw were stars.

* * *

Waking up from being knocked out sucks. I feel like most people share that opinion. I hazily registered a vaguely familiar voice calling my name. I tried to brush it off and fall back asleep when a sharp sting snapped me awake. I sat up quickly and paid for it dearly with a wave of dizziness. I tried to fight through it and get a quick survey of my situation but quickly lost balance and fell back over. I looked up to see a figure standing over me, silhouetted by the sun. I held up my hand to shield the glare only for the figure to bend down into view.

"You know Chestnut, the last time I had to slap you awake on this beach, you were piss-drunk, half-naked, and almost late to your wedding." The man revealed himself to be none other than Brian; fellow fisherman, self-proclaimed master trader, and lifelong friend. He smiled that cheeky grin of his and held out his hand. "You had me worried there. For a minute I thought I'd have to be the one to break the bad news to Pepper. She'd rip me apart on the spot."

I smiled and grabbed his hand for support, pulling me to my feet. "It's good to know you've always got my best interests at heart, Brian." I chuckled and looked myself over. Surprisingly, other than a massive headache, I was relatively fine. I was sore all over and I'm pretty sure I sprained my ankle at some point, but I still had all my limbs; more than most survivors of a megalodon attack. I tried to take a step forward but pain shot through my leg. It was a pretty bad sprain; I wouldn't be boating for a while. I glanced up, remembering something. "Where's my hat?"

Brian used his free hand lift my hat out of the sand and drop it on my head, not bothering to shake it out. Sand poured out the sides and down my hair and face while he grinned sarcastically. "Honestly buddy, I'd be more worried about that." He raised his arm to point out to the water. I followed his gaze to a half-submerged mangle of wood just off the shore. I must have just drifted into the shallows when the boat finally sank. I deflated visibly. That was my one and only boat. Without it, there was no way I could do my job, let alone participate in Fish Fest. Brian looked over the wreckage with me. "The whole back half was crushed. What the hell happened Chester?"

I let out a depressed sigh. "Goddamn greenhorn fishermen, that's what. There's always some idiots that don't know the rules, and we professionals have to suffer for it. To be honest, it's a story that I need to be at least half-drunk to tell." My eyes widened and I glanced up at the sky. The sun was at the height of it's arc; midday. "Damn, I'm supposed to be at the Dilo right now!" I took one step and stumbled as my ankle spiked with pain again.

Brian lunged forward and caught me. "Hey now, you can barely walk. We need to get you home."

I looked at him squarely. "I told Pep that I would meet her at the Dilo. Do you really want to be the one to tell her that I had to go home injured?"

Brian let out a hearty laugh. "No. no I do not." He wrapped an arm around my shoulder to support me. "She'll probably give us a beating for being late anyway. Let's not keep them waiting." We began hobbling forward when he let out another laugh. "Who knows, maybe your story will earn us a round of drinks."

* * *

Minutes later we burst through the door of the Tavern, drawing eyes from a few patrons. It was in the middle of the lunch rush, so many of the seats were full, but Brain set me down in a char by the bar. He posed dramatically and dropped into his what he calls his 'Merchant Voice'. "Behold! The champion-conquerer of the sea returns from his epic journey." He gestured to me before turning to the rest of the bar, commanding attention from the entire room. "Exactly what he has conquered on his amazing quest, only a round of drinks shall reveal." Sarcastic groans echoed from around the bar. Brian and I were regulars at The Drunken Dilo, so his antics were well known. He and I had a steady partnership in the fishing business; he uses his 'witty charm' to win over buyers in the market while I do all the backbreaking, real work bringing in hauls to sell. Admittedly one could see it as an unfair workload, but I didn't mind. I loved the sea, and we had been best friends since we met in town. He and I had been fishing rivals since we set ourselves up in the business, until it was clear that I was completely dominating him in skill. He still managed to make profit with his silver tongue at the markets, selling what little he caught at high prices. We decided to pool our skills together, rather than compete. And we've been inseparable ever since.

Ellen came storming out from the back room with Pepper. "Are you trying to scam good customers in my bar again?" She waved her spoon angrily, only for Pepper to brush past her and around the bar. Brian quickly backed up to avoid getting bulldozed by her as she ran to my side.

She looked me over worriedly, eyeing my bruises and injuries. "What happened?"

I scoffed sarcastically and waved her off. "Oh Pep, it's nothing that your darling husband couldn't-"

Brian cut me off. "He sank the ship."

I glared at him furiously and opened my mouth to retort. Pepper's expression flared with shock and anger. "WHAT!? What happened? What did you do?"

I shrunk sheepishly under her gaze. The bar went silent and watched. When Pepper got angry, everyone knew sparks would fly. "C'mon Pep, really it-"

"Chester. As your wife and future mother of your child I demand that you tell me what happened." I flinched as she said my name. She only reverted to calling me Chester when she was really mad.

Ellen chuckled from behind the counter. "Best spill the beans now, boy. A sunken boat hardly compares to an angry wife."

I grimaced at the truth in her words. "Well... there may... have been... a megalodon involved." I cringed as I finished the sentence, waiting to be beaten within an inch of my life.

Color drained from Pepper's face. "WHAT?! A megalodon sunk the boat? How? What did you do?" Her eyes darted over my figure again in a panic. "Oh god, a shark? Are you ok? I mean you survived, obviously, but-"

I grabbed her hand to stop her. She always hated it when something went wrong while fishing. It was very clear in the town that hunting on the open water is one of the more dangerous occupations, but still people did it. Many had families to feed, others, like myself, simply enjoyed the water. Soon I would have both reasons to go out each morning. I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, hon. Just a bit of an accident. I'll be right as rain in no time. After all..." I gave her a sly smirk. "It's nothing a kiss from the hottest gal this side of the island can't fix"

Pepper rolled her eyes and sighed before pulling me in for a kiss, earning whoops and hollers from the rest of the bar. She pushed me back. "That's to help you get better. And this..." She wound up and delivered my second slap across the face today. "-is for scaring the crap out of me!" The tavern erupted in laughter as I rubbed my sore cheek.

A patron down the bar finished laughing and waved a hand to us. "Alright, alright. Now I'm thoroughly interested. Ellen! I'll buy the man a drink. I'm in the mood for a good story."

Brian recoiled in mock offense. "What about the man who dragged his sorry ass in from the beach?"

The man laughed. "Buy it yourself, Brian. You've always got some teeth just lying around." It was true. Brian was the king of money saving. If anyone knew how to amass a small fortune, it was him.

Brian chuckled. "Awww, but I need every little scrap of cash I can get my hands on. After all, wealth is the way to attract women." He turned to the other server in the bar. "How about it Georgia? Care to take a ride on the money maker?" He gestured not-so-subtly to his lower regions.

The dark haired server scoffed. "You ain't getting me in a bed with you until phiomias grow wings and fly." Her sarcastic reply made Brian dramatically deflate, clutching his chest to imitate a broken heart. Georgia's rejections to Brian were nothing new, he'd been trying all year. It became more of a running joke than real flirting. She was around our age, yet already had a kid. The father skipped town when he realized she was pregnant, never to be seen again. I didn't know him, but I hoped that coward was rotting in a cave somewhere. Why Georgia decided to name the boy after that lowlife, I'll never know. Her little five-year-old Matthew was a mischievous boy for his age, always full of energy. Brian doesn't mind the little boy at all though. In fact, one could say that he actually likes the kid. Whenever Georgia brings him to the bar, Brain makes sure to put on a show to entertain the kid. Ellen could practically pay the guy for stand-up entertainment. Little Matthew instantly took to him, trying to act all dramatic and over the top. One could say he was a bad influence, but we all know he means no harm by it. Whether or not he was using him as a way to close to Georgia was still up for debate though.

Brian laughed and turned back to the bartender. "Hey Ellen, you've got a pig around back right? Mind if I borrow him for a while? I'm gonna go tell those Slipstream fellas that I've got an idea."

That earned another round of chuckles from the patrons and an amused shake of the head from Georgia. "Tell you what, if they actually let your sorry ass up their mountain, I'll let you buy me dinner."

Brian pumped his fists into the air enthusiastically. "Ha! I know what I'm doing tomorrow! Far's Peak here I come!" Brian turned back to the bar. "But first..." He dropped a sack full of dino teeth on the table. "First round of drinks is on me. All of you had better enjoy it while you can, I ain't buying the next." Cheers came from all around at the prospect of free booze. Brian took a seat next to me at the bar and slapped a hand on my sore back. "Now why don't you regale us with that tale of yours, Chestnut?"

I winced from the impact but chuckled at his enthusiasm. Ellen sat a pair of drinks in front of us with a resounding clink while Georgia and Pepper passed out rounds to the remaining patrons. I took a swig of the golden fire before beginning. "So have you ever had just one of _those_ days?"

* * *

After an overly dramatized story, a near heart attack from Pepper, and several rounds of drinks, the bar had sufficiently cleared out a bit. Lunch was well over, and people needed to either go back to work or get home. A few people stayed at the bar to chat for a bit while they finished their drinks or food. A loud thumping from outside drew my attention. The rattle of someone dismounting from a saddle rang through the door before it swung open. In strode a man with a look like he owned the place. Unlike the egotistical asshole I call a best friend, this one had few redeeming qualities. Bruce, the leader of the town's local band of hunters. There are two things a person can have that makes others want to listen to them: knowledge and power. This prick had the latter far more than the former. He sat down on the stool next to me. "Ah, I was looking for you two. Got something I wanna talk about." He tapped the counter to get Ellen's attention. "Oi! Hardest you got. Don't bother with a glass, I'll take a whole mug."

Ellen looked at him with the enthusiasm of someone watching a fly trying to get out of a closed window. "You got the teeth for it?"

Bruce grunted. "I heard someone was buying drinks. Thought I'd cash in on that little goldmine."

Brian shrugged. "I only bought the first round. Guess you're outta luck."

Bruce grumbled in response before waving Ellen off. "Never mind, something small then. I won't be staying long." He turned to us. "I got a proposition for you two."

I scoffed in amusement. This outta be good. "Sure, Bruce. What did you have in mind?"

Ellen set a mug of liquor in front of Bruce and walked into the back. He took a loud swig from the glass, spilling some of the liquid down his shirt. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and burped. The display made my face twist in disgust. This man had about as much class as a phiomia rolling in the mud. "So there's this little problem that I need help solving. We've noticed a lot of aggressive dino behavior lately. Unprovoked attacks, disrupted caravans, real bad stuff." The tone of his voice almost seemed rehearsed, yet unenthused.

"Tragic." Brian rolled his eyes. "What's this got to do with us?"

Bruce grunted at his sarcasm, but continued. "It's getting so bad that we think that the town may actually be at risk. The scale of said risk is still debatable, but it's a very real one."

"So... you're point is?"

"If we Hunters can't cull the numbers of the dinos around Bedrock, we'd be looking at the possibility of wild dino attacks within the town."

Ok, I can admit that's pretty bad. Brian and I shared a look before Brian spoke up. "So I'll ask again, what does this have to do with us?"

Bruce took another gulp from the mug. "See, now I've been trying to convince people to lend a hand to us. My Hunters might be good, but skill doesn't matter if we don't have the right tools. Sturdy spears, armor, saddles, meat for what few mounts we have and some to tame new ones, you know? The problem is that no one will listen. They think I'm some kind of con. How rude! I'm one of the most upstanding citizens in this bay." He took another sloppy swig from his drink, nullifying his statement. "But you," He gestured to us with his mug. "You two are loved by everyone. Practically the poster boys of Bedrock. If you two join the Hunters, people will listen to us. We'll finally be able to get the resources we need."

I tilted my head in confusion. "You DO know that we're fishermen, right? We don't know the first thing about hunting in the woods."

"Don't worry about that. Your position with us will be mostly public, you know? Just enough to give us sway over the general populace. You don't actually need to follow us out on our hunts. What do you say?" He raised his mug for another drink.

I didn't even need to think about it. "Thanks, but no thanks."

Bruce coughed mid-gulp, splattering liquid over the counter. "No?"

I shook my head, confirming my decision. "It's not something I can do. Fishing has been my life, I can't just give that up. Plus I have a wife and kid on the way. If I just become some public figurehead, how would I provide for them?"

Bruce stared at me in disbelief. "You can't be serious. You're telling me that you think your 'family' is more important than the protection of the town?"

I scoffed. "Have you met Pep? You don't find a woman like that every day. If we're being honest, I'd trade the whole island for her."

Despite his attempt at a calm demeanor, Bruce put his mug on the counter with a slam that betrayed his rising emotions. "I suggest you to rethink that mentality of yours. No one is that important."

This time I slammed my fist on the counter. "I'm afraid she is. And I suggest you rethink YOUR mentality of disrespecting the wife of the man your trying to persuade to be your social puppet. The answer is NO, Bruce."

We maintained a tense standoff before Bruce stood up and grumbled. "You're making a huge mistake here, Chester. Let's hope you can live with the consequences." He slammed open the swinging door to the tavern with more force than necessary and stormed off. I sighed and turned back to Brian who simply shrugged.

Ellen came back out with a rag and picked up Bruce's glass, wiping it clean. "To think that brute and his motley crew is supposed to guard this town..." She grumbled "I'm too old to be worrying about things like that."

"You've been saying you're too old since the day you washed up, Ellen." I jumped at the new voice behind me. I turned to see a bearded man walking up to the bar. Beside him was a small child, probably as young as Mathew. She hid behind him as I looked at her. The man lifted his hands in apology. "Sorry boy, didn't mean to frighten you. I can be kind of quiet."

Ellen rolled her eyes. "Quiet? Joe you've got the social skills of an anxious galli. Maybe if you came out of the woods more than once a month people would get used to you."

"And if the best part of my trips to town wasn't talking to a bitter old woman all day, maybe I would."

"Old? You're probably older than me you geezer. Tell me, has the crippling back pain and arthritis set in yet?"

The man flexed an arm, showing impressive muscles for a man his age. "Still fit as a fiddle, unlike you. Can you even cook by yourself anymore?"

"Ha, you've got me there. Now I need Scraps to help me clean up."

The girl perked up at the mention of the tavern's resident mascot. She tugged on Joe's pant leg to get his attention. The man leaned down and the girl whispered something in his ear. He nodded in response and looked up. "Is the old dilo still around?"

Ellen responded by bringing two fingers to her mouth and whistling. Out of the kitchen trotted the brown lizard moments later. It yawned before stretching, likely freshly woken from a nap. The girl's eyes lit up when she spotted it and she ran towards it. The lizard yelped in surprise and darted beneath a table to avoid the small child. She giggled and began crawling down after it. She chased the lizard around as it weaved in and out of chairs. The dilo then turned in quick, tight circles around the child, spinning them around as they tried to follow. She reeled from dizziness before falling. The lizard stopped and inspected the fallen toddler. Before the dilo could react, the child lifted a hand and booped the lizard's nose. "Gotcha!" The lizard flinched in surprise before growling at the child. It leaned forward with its mouth open, seemingly about to bite them. Scraps simply stuck out their tongue and began licking the child's face, who in return descended into a laughing fit.

Damn. This kid was just too cute for their own good.

We all watched the display until Ellen spoke up. "She seems healthy enough. But I still don't think you're giving her the childhood she needs. Surely not the one that _they_ wanted for her."

Joe gave a hollow sigh. " _They_ wanted a lot of things they knew wouldn't happen. Not here, anyway. She's growing up just fine and she's perfectly safe, that's what matters." He turned back to her. "But I'm not here to talk about the past." He looked at us. "You two are fishermen, right? Accomplished ones?"

Brian and I exchanged looks before nodding. "Yeah, what of it?"

He reached into his satchel and produced a rare sight; a book. "I was wondering if I could ask you two a few things about the local aquatic life. Would you humor an old man?"

Brian and I exchanged glances before I shrugged. "Sure, ask away."

He asked very specific questions, like how big or heavy certain fish were, what color, how many teeth. Real scholarly stuff. He would write down our answers in the little book of his, not word-for-word, but reworded to sound highly informative, as if he expected extremely literate people to read it. Maybe he just didn't want dumb folk to be able to figure out what it was. Everything from megalodon to liopleurodon, he asked away. Whether or not we actually had answers to his questions, he seemed content to just discuss things with us. Every time we didn't know or understand something, he broke it down and explained it in detail. Ellen said he had poor social grace, but he had a passion to him that you couldn't miss. As if he enjoyed every second of our conversation and relished in each little tidbit off information we could give him. I stopped held up my hand to kindly interject. "Are you some kind of teacher, Joe?"

He seemed caught off guard by my question and hesitated. "What makes you think that?"

"You've just got this... way about you. Like you enjoy giving out information just as much as collecting it."

He stroked his beard absentmindedly while he considered the comment. "In truth, I am a doctor by trade. Medicine and wellness are my forte. However, my philosophy is that the best medicine, is to never get hurt at all."

Brian chuckled. "That's a pretty arrogant philosophy." And that's saying a lot, coming from him.

Joe smiled and put down his pencil. "Look at it this way, you can go into battle with the thickest of armors or the sharpest of spears, but if you don't know what your up against, odds are you don't have the advantage." He made several arm gestures to emphasize his points. "Humans, for all we are, physically cannot match up against the beasts of this island. We're weaker, smaller, slower, easier to see, and other loads of disadvantages. What we DO have, however, is this." He tapped his head with a finger. "Humans are the smartest animal on this island." He made a note of emphasizing 'animal.' "We can build, we can speak, we can use the environment to our endless advantage, and most of all we can strategize." He held up the book. "I'm writing this because I believe that knowledge is power. By learning everything there is to know about the dangers of the island, then maybe, _maybe_ , we can do something about our constant struggle to survive." His gaze drifted to the small child, happily playing with Snaps. "I'm trying to make this world one worth growing up in."

I nodded in understanding. Despite the lack of blood relation between the two, he obviously saw the child as his own. A deep, fatherly kind of bond; one that I would likely have soon.

Brian voiced a question plaguing both of our minds. "So if you're trying to make the island a better place by educating people, then why are we only just now hearing about you? I mean, that's a mighty large book you've got there. All of that couldn't be written in any short amount of time."

Joe sighed and traced the leather binding of the book. "I'm trying to do this privately. Many people would love to get their hands on this journal, even before I finish it. At the same time, some of the most vital information contained within these pages was not obtained without... sacrifices. Sacrifices that some people may not have been... ethical." He paused to let that sink in. "Long story short, I have my reasons for keeping this a secret as much as I can. If it's alright with you two, I would prefer if you didn't mention to anyone that we met."

Brian and I exchanged a cautious glance. I didn't quite understand what this man was implying, but I could tell that writing his book was no walk in the park. It makes sense that something so ambitious would take some less-than-noble methods. Not that I approve, but it seemed like a just cause, and his intentions were well placed. I shrugged passively. "Sure pal, whatever you want."

The man smiled and reopened his book. "Thank you. Now if it's not too much trouble, I have just a few more questions about a particular type of shellfish. It's a small, arrow-shaped creature. Primarily brown, several body segments, scuttles along the sea floor. I've seen and taken notes on it, yet I don't quite know it's name. Do either of you know what I'm describing?"

Brian thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "Oh! You mean a trilobite? Basically little water bugs right? The boys 'round here catch those in cages all the time."

The comment rang a few bells as I remembered something I forgot to do. I quickly stood up and turned back to Brian. "Hey, you've still got a working boat right? You didn't sell it or anything?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "Of course I've still got the old row boat. Every fisherman needs one. Why?"

"I dropped a few cages on my way out this morning." I shrugged sarcastically. "Guess I forgot to check them on my way in."

Brian chuckled. "If you had, I would have called bullshit on your entire story." He stood up and stretched, making a point to flex visibly towards Georgia. Who made a point to completely ignore him. He held the pose hopefully for a moment before letting out the breath he was holding and relaxing. "So you wanna go check them or what?"

"Preferably now before someone else does. I'm going to need whatever profit I can get today. There's no way I'm letting Pepper be the only one in the house making money while I'm getting a new boat."

At the mention of her name, Pepper glanced up from the table she was cleaning off. "Wait, what? You're leaving?"

Brain pointed a thumb at the door. "We're heading out to go dredge up some trilobites. We won't be too long."

Pepper's mouth dropped open. "Are you kidding me? There is no way you're going back out there after today. What if-"

Brian let out a laugh. "Oh come on, Pep. We're just grabbing some cages in the shallows. The chance of that shark showing this ugly mug are next to none." He threw an arm over my shoulder. "Besides, even if something goes wrong, he'll have me to bail his sorry ass out."

"Oh now that just _fills_ me with confidence." Her voice practically dripped with sarcasm. She turned to me with a pleading look. "Salt..."

I shrugged off Brian's arm and walked over to her, taking her hand in mine. "Pep, it'll be fine. The worst that could happen is an overexcited Icthy rocking the boat."

"But-"

I gently pressed a finger to her mouth. "Believe me when I tell you I'll be right back." I winked playfully. "I've got a hell of a motivator to come back each time."

Pepper smiled a little. "You'd better." She grabbed my collar and pulled me close as her tone dropped to a dangerous level of seriousness. "Because contrary to what Georgia wants people to think, being a single mother is not easy. And your are NOT leaving me with that responsibility. Got it?" She released my collar, but not my hand. Her tone lightened to a more caring one. "You're everything to me, you know that?"

I squeezed her hand softly. "And you're everything to me and a little extra." I gently poked her belly. "You always were, and always will be. Nothing will ever break us apart, I promise."

She smiled coyly. "You promise."

She may have been amused, but I was completely serious. "I promise that until the end of my days, I will do everything in my power to always be with you, Pepper."

She seemed a bit put off by my commitment, but then again, she always flustered a bit at my romances. She recovered quickly with another sarcastic question. "Then I expect you to do just about anything to keep me from leaving you." She returned my wink.

I smiled at her. "Whatever you say sweetheart." I brushed aside her scarlet hair and pulled her in for a long kiss. Some couples complain about their romances losing their spark, but to me every kiss from her felt just as good as the first one. My heart beat skips, my breath catches, and the whole world seems to melt away, taking any and all problems with it.

At least, until a certain toddler interrupts the tender moment with an obnoxious raspberry and two thumbs down.

We both looked at the small girl in amusement as she openly expressed her disapproval. Joe walked over to her and took her hand. "Alright, enough. No need to be rude."

I addressed him as he repacked his bag. "Sorry to cut our chat short. Wanna take a rain check?"

"No, I got plenty of what I needed. Besides," He scooped up the girl and slung her over his shoulder. "Mira gets cranky and rude without her nap."

"Nooooooo!" The toddler kicked and struggled against his grasp to no avail. He waved with his free hand before pushing open the door and walking out. The tavern suddenly seemed much quieter.

Brian turned back to us. "So you two lovebirds done yet or should Ellen rent you two a room?" He walked towards the door and leaned casually on the frame. "Because trilobite cages aren't the most secure way of making money. Better grab them while we still can."

I chuckled. "Yeah you're right. Let's go." I turned to Pepper. "I'll be back here before you know it. I'll buy you a little something on the way home tonight, whatever you want."

"I hope you've got deep pockets tonight then."

I smiled and joined Brain near the door. He dramatically held the door open. "After you, good sir."

"Thank you, you fine gentleman." I grinned and spoke loud enough for the whole bar to hear. "You know Brian, it's a good thing I'm a swell fisherman."

Brian gave me a look of confusion before catching on. He grinned and played along, equally loudly. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

I turned and gave Pepper the largest grin I could. "Because if I wasn't, I never would have landed that great catch over there."

Pepper flushed a deep pink and stormed off into the kitchen. She called back as she left. "Get out of here Salt." Her reaction incited chuckles and playful teasing from the remaining occupants. She hates it when I flirt with her in front of others, but to be honest it was still totally worth it.

Brian patted my back as we walked out the door. "Stop using those pickup lines in front of everyone."

"Oh please, it's not like she's going to divorce me over it or something."

"No, I mean stop using them in public so I can steal them and use them on Georgia and seem original."

We both laughed heavily as we walked towards the pier.

* * *

We sat out on the water pulling up the second cage. I had dropped four of them, and only three of them remained. Whether the buoy sank or someone stole it, who knows. I had my bets on the latter option. Fish fest attracts all sorts of characters, from professionals like me to amateurs like the men today. I mentally cursed at my luck today. Nothing got my blood boiling more than crippling incompetence. Sure I can understand someone being new to open water fishing, but for someone to be so thick in the head that they just do whatever they want and think there are no consequences... well... let's just say I didn't feel sorry when those men got what was coming to them. To those of us who have been here a while, fishing is more than a job. It's our life, our burden, and our purpose. There's an unspoken code between us to respect each other's rights to a catch or spot. When amateurs come in and abuse that code, that's when things get stressful for us. Their failures waste us time, food, teeth, and in extreme cases like today, lives. Fish fest supposedly helps the town grow, but in my opinion it's more trouble than it's worth. It was shaping up to be a crappy one this year; with the loss of my boat, I couldn't help drive the catch in and therefore the festival team would be hard pressed to pick up my slack.

Brian shook me from my thoughts as the cage broke the surface. "Looks like there's actually something in this one." The cages worked by having a narrow cone that trilobites could crawl through. As they passed through the hole, they would push it open to enter the cage itself. Once inside, the hole would contract back to its regular size, trapping the shellfish inside. All a fisherman had to do was put bait in the cage and drop it in the water. Personally I prefer my tactic of baiting a current, but I can see the appeal of this method. As I was quickly learning, this was actually very unreliable. People could simply steal the cages or you could pull up an empty or broken one, as was the case with the first one. This one however had a small load of trilobites of all sizes; fifteen at least. "Welp. Let's get cracking."

I nodded and we both picked up our clubs. While trilobites had shells made of chitin, they carried something far more valuable in their stomachs; pearls. Trilobites had similar eating habits to that of oysters; they filtered out nutrients from the sea floor and water. Like oysters, occasionally a piece of sand or a small pebble gets caught in their mouths or digestive system. Over time, filtered sediments collect over the stuck object, eventually forming pearls. These pearls have an almost unnaturally high silicon content, probably due to the silicon-rich sand that makes up the ocean floor. This gives the pearls a glossy, grey-white color, making them extremely sought after by jewelers and other wealthy folks. Sure someone could just dive down into the ocean and pry open a few clam shells for profit, but at those depths, sharks were one of the smaller threats. Instead most fishermen settle for harvesting the pearls from simple trilobites.

By bashing them open with a club.

Loud cracks drowned out my thoughts as we set to work cracking open the shellfish. Not every one yielded a pearl, but we were at least finding a few. After about half the cage was gone I noticed that I was the only one whacking. I glanced up at Brian who held a trilobite against the floor of the boat, but was simply staring off into space. The trilobite wiggles out of his grasp and scuttled across the floor of the boat and right into the next whack from me. A little white ball rolled out from the creatures innards and I tossed it in the bag with the rest. I turned and tapped Brian's knee with the club. "Hey, these things aren't gonna smash themselves."

He looked at me for a moment before shaking his head. "Right, right. Sorry."

"Hey, you ok?"

He was silent for a second. "Do you... think you'll ever get tired of this?"

"Tired of what?"

He gestured all around him. "This! The fishing, the shit you put up with, all of it."

I scoffed. "I... don't think so, no. I mean, what would the alternative be?"

He paused to choose his words. "I've been thinking. About Bruce's offer."

"You can't be serious. _That_ prick? You want to work for _him_?"

"No, not really. I'm just thinking about what he said. What if there's actually a real threat? What kind of people would we be if we just ignored it?"

"Brian, they're the _Hunters_. It's their _job_ to handle 'threats.' We're fishermen, that's not our place or responsibility. And to be honest, I wouldn't trust a single word that comes out of his mouth. You remember some of the cons he's tried to pull in the past, right? He tried to play off the compy like it was the most poisonous dino on the island and tried to get everyone to kill them on sight. Turns out that he was just throwing a temper tantrum because a pack of compys 'marked their territory' on his porch."

"Yeah but think about it. He came to us directly and asked for help with what actually sounds like it could be a real problem. No buildup, no obvious scheme. This could be legit."

I let out a laugh. "Bruce? Legit? I'll believe that when phiomias fly." I smiled at him. "You know, maybe you _should_ make that trip to Far's Peak. Sounds like a lot of good would come from it at this point."

"I'm being serious Chester. I've got a bad feeling about this."

I didn't like this. Brian was almost never serious about anything. "But what about being an 'attractive sailor.' What about making enough money to woo Georgia?"

Brian chuckled lightly. "Oh that's just an act we put on. We've been together for a few months now. She just wanted to keep it a secret so that the town wouldn't think she's the type to 'sleep around.' That's not the kind of image she wants Matthew to see."

I was a bit shocked, but at the same time it made sense. Georgia and her son lived in one of Ellen's rooms. With how much time Brian and I spent in the Dilo, no one would find it unusual for him to be visiting her. "Wow... I uh... congrats but... don't you think that's a bit unfair? I mean, you're one of the most publicly noticeable people in town. I'd think telling everyone would be your first priority."

He smiled. "Oh don't get me wrong, I so extremely badly want to say something, _anything_ REAL when I see her. But instead I put on my famous act every time. Don't get me wrong, I'm an amazing actor, but I don't want to be in a comedy. I want the romantic story where everything works out. Honestly, when I see you and Pepper and how comfortable you two are... it just makes me angry. I mean, I love Georgia and the little rugrat, so I'll do anything to stay with her. I just wish it wasn't... a problem for her."

I listened intently to him. Brian was the kind of person who never seems like anything bothers him. If this made him drop his carefree attitude, then he was seriously stressed. "So what does this have to do with Bruce's offer?"

"Think about it. Georgia doesn't want to seem like a slut. But if she found some upstanding, heroic guy that everyone thought highly of, no one would think less of her for being with him. For lack of a better way to put this, I'm not good enough."

Bullshit. "Whoa, hey. I'll believe just about everything you say except that. You're probably the most charismatic person I know."

He gestured in frustration. "Yeah, I am. That's ALL I am. I crack jokes while siting pretty on a pile of teeth that I make off of _your_ hard work. I don't even FISH anymore, Chester." He laughed, but it was hollow. "The real joke is that I actually thought I had a shot with her. But that's why I think this will be good for me. For us. Pepper loves you too much to care if you fish or sew clothes or pick goddamn flowers for a living. There are almost no drawbacks to this. People will think we're important and protecting this town."

"Then go ahead."

He stopped. "What?"

"I mean it. If that's what you want to do then I completely and totally support you."

"... You say that like you won't go with me."

I sighed and looked out towards the open water. The sun had lowered just enough to give the the clouds color but not enough to truly be called a sunset. The calm water reflected the golden light, gently contrasting the deep blue beneath. "Look out there. What do you see?"

Brian rolled his eyes and looked out at the water. "I see... lots and lots of water."

"I see the thing that I've spent my entire life with. Honestly if I wasn't married to Pepper then I would be married to this." I dragged my hand through the cold water. "Fishing has been my life since I woke up on this island. And so far, it's never done me wrong. I love my life just the way it is." I leveled my eyes at him. "I wouldn't change a damn thing about it. So believe me when I tell you this; happiness is something that should come naturally. It can be earned, it can be worked for, but it can't be forced. I'm sure you love Georgia, but just make sure you're ok with what you sacrifice for her." I leaned back and went back to my casual tone. "But hey, that's just the opinion of some stubborn sailor who's already got everything he needs. I'm your friend Brian, I'll be supporting you with whatever you want to do. But I'm staying here."

Brian opened his mouth to protest but paused. A disappointing look crossed his face before he dismissed it with a wave. "Whatever. Let's just get your last cage."

The awkward silence weighed heavily on us as we rowed out towards the last buoy. I had dropped this one a little further out so it ended up sinking farther than expected. I wasn't very optimistic about this one because trilobites tended towards shallower waters. I tried to come up with something to break the suffocating silence when a loud crash broke it for me. We both swiveled in our seats to look towards the origin of the sound. A roar echoed across the water as dust rose from the residential part of town. I stood up to get a better look. "It's coming from the town."

Brian's eyes widened. "From town? That roar came from something big, but nothing goes hunting at this hour. Let alone something ballsy enough to attack the town."

I glanced between him and the sounds of destruction from the town. "Should we do something?"

Brian shrugged, but maintained a look of concern. "Like what? It would take us at least fifteen minutes to row all the way back in. Even then the bridge is down. We'd have to walk all the way around the bay to get there." He grimaced. "Looks like it's up to Bruce and his gang."

"Dammit... I am not looking forward to the 'I told you so' conversation he's going to give us." Another crash followed by a scream emanated from the town. I winced at how it sounded. There was a clear difference between a cry of pain and a cry of fear; and that was the former. "I hope they stop it soon, before something _really_ bad happens." A thud on the side of the boat wrenched our attention from the destruction. I glanced down the see the last buoy gently knocking against the side of the boat. "Oh, right." I started pulling up the rope. There was always excess rope dropped with cages to make sure that they can be pulled up from any depth. As I reeled in the loose rope I glanced at Brian for help. His eyes remain glued to the dust cloud rising from the town. I elbowed him lightly to grab his attention. "Hey, what are you so worried about? It's not gonna eat your stash of teeth."

His gaze didn't break away. "Chestnut, don't you live on the northern side on the housing district? That's where the attack is."

My stomach did a flip. "Awww... that better not be my house. I can't pay for a new ship _and_ a new house. My heart raced for a moment as I remembered Pepper, then relaxed as I realized she would still be at work. "At least the girls are safe, right? That's what matters." I kept pulling up the rope, letting it coil in the bed of the boat. The moment the line went taut I was met with massive resistance. "Shit... please don't be stuck..." I leaned hard, throwing my back into it. I pulled so hard that the rowboat rocked a little. I looked at Brian. "Mind lending a hand?"

Brian took a moment to look away from the rising dust. "Yeah, sure." He stood up and gripped the rope alongside me. "Alright, one, two, three, PULL." We both lifted at the same time, successfully dragging the rope up further. The cage wasn't stuck, but it was heavy. Brian counted down a few more times and we kept heaving. Several dozen pulls later, my arms burned and my back ached, but an irregular shape formed beneath the boat as the cage rose. Brian leaned over the side to get a better look. "What... is that?" His answer came much faster than he expected in the form of a large stinger punching into the wood inches from his feet. "Holy-" he lost his balance and landed on his ass in the bottom of the boat.

I glanced from where he fell to the limb protruding from the water. The shape was much more visible now that it was pulled to the surface. Superficially, the creature resembled the coffee table-sized scorpions that roamed the rocky jungles of the island. Beyond that, the similarities ended. This insect lived entirely in the water and was only half he size. Instead of grabbing claws it had large, vice-like mouthparts that protruded from its face. It's legs were flat and more akin to flippers, yet still seemed ambulatory enough for life on the sea floor. It's stinger was small, yet long and more flexible with a poison-coated barb on the end of it. It's front limbs and mouthparts had become tangled in the thick weave of the cage as it tried to cut its way to the bait. It's black eyes regarded me frantically as it pulled its stinger free from the boat. It whipped its rear limb again, this time aiming for me. I threw myself down as the stinger just barely grazed my arm. Despite it not leaving a scratch, my skin tingled from contact alone. Getting stung by this would be a serious problem.

Brian grabbed his club as the creature lunged again, bringing it up just in time to block the strike. The barbed stinger wedged itself within the wooden weapon, becoming stuck. The insect yanked on its tail, trying to free itself. Brian held onto the creature's tail, effectively pinning it. He glanced at me. "Chestnut, NOW!"

"Right!" I picked up my club and leaned over the side of the boat. I brought the club down hard upon the insect, sending a spiderweb of cracks across its shell. The creature slowed its movements, struggling in pain. With another swift strike to the head I put it out of its misery. The water began turning green as blood oozed from the dead insect. I grabbed hold of its tail and heaved it onto the boat. The broken cage slowly sank back into the water, now free of the creature. I sat back and sighed as my heart beat returned to a reasonable speed. I looked at Brian, who was prying the creature's tail from his club. "What do you reckon it is?"

"I'm pretty sure it's a Eurypterid. Some shopkeeps say it's a kind of sea scorpion, if that wasn't obvious enough." He looked at the broken corpse in front of him. "They're insanely rare."

I raised an eyebrow at the insect in front of me. "And by rare... you mean..."

Brian grinned. "Rather valuable indeed. These things prey on trilobites, meaning they practically harvest pearls for us." He gestured with his club. "Crack it open, see what you got."

I nodded and gave the shell a quick whack, shattering the already cracked surface. I pried the chitin off and tossed it aside. I dug through the insects insides, feeling around for the round bounty. As I searched, I came up empty with each part of it. I became a little desperate and started tossing its guts into the water. "Oh come on. Come ON." I looked through the final section of it before standing up in frustration. "Dammit! Piece of shit!" I stomped on its head, crushing it. The floor of the boat was splattered in green blood as a dark shape popped out of the mess. The small sphere clinked as it bounced out of the muck, rolling up to Brian's foot. He picked it up and wiped it off on his shirt. The pearl was dark, almost black in color. I scoffed. "Oh great, only one pearl and it's not even white. No one will buy that."

Brian's eyes widened. "Oh on the contrary. This, my friend, is a black pearl. Something about the acidic poison in the Eurypterid turns the pearls a deep shade of purple." He turned the pearl around in his hand. "This is by far one of the rarest productions of nature on the island."

"How much is it worth?"

He rocked his head from side to side doing the math in his head. "Oh... I don't know. I know a guy up north who pays a pretty penny for these. Says they have 'useful chemical properties' or something." He stroked his nonexistent beard. "I might even be able to go so high as ten Rex teeth for this."

If my jaw could go any lower it would have dropped off of my face. "TEN REX TEETH!?" That's an insane amount of money. "Forget about buying a new boat, I could buy a whole fleet with that."

"Indeed my friend. You are one damn lucky man." He gave a teasing wink. "Of course, I'll have to shave off my cut of the find."

I smiled back. "Weren't you just talking about packing up and leaving the business? I'm pretty sure that voids your end of the profits."

Brian raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Who are you going to sell this to again? How will you know you're not gonna get scammed out of it?"

I opened my mouth to protest before realizing he had a point. "...Shut your trap. I'd manage."

"Oh please. What would you do without me?"

"Probably live a happy life with my wife and kid."

He punched my shoulder. "Oh shut up. Let's head back to the Dilo so you can buy everyone the next round of drinks."

I smiled and grabbed the oars, pushing them through the water. I glanced back at the town. The dust had cleared and the sounds had quieted down. Looks like Bruce did his job for once. I looked up towards the setting sun. "Things are only going to get better from here Brian, just you watch."

* * *

We dragged the boat up onto the sand and tied it to a post behind Brian's stall. He was based on the business part of Bedrock, so he had to dock his boat there as well. We walked between the buildings and our into the street, grinning like idiots. Some shops had already packed up, an odd thing this close to Fish Fest. It actually seemed quieter than usual, as if less people were out and about. I didn't pay it much mind though, nothing could ruin my mood. I waved to the local tanner as we passed his shop. "Afternoon Ken! What's new in your neck of the woods?"

The older man looked up, his expression sinking upon seeing us. "Oh, it's you two." He studied our faces for a minute. "Why the grins?"

Brian swung his arm around my shoulders. "This lucky bastard just scored the greatest haul of his career. With any luck he'll be sitting pretty for a good long while." He looked at Ken, frowning when he didn't react. "Hey, why the long face? Today's a good day!"

Ken sighed. "So you two were out on the water? That would explain why you wouldn't know. The town was attacked while you were gone."

I shrugged of Brian's arm, adopting a more serious tone. "Yeah, we could hear it from across the water. What happened?"

"A Megalosaurus slipped past Bruce and the Hunters. It made its way to the residential district. No one was prepared for it." He grimaced and closed his eyes. "It was a bad scene."

Brian and I exchanged looks. "What part of the district?"

"Northern. It took out a few houses." He paused. "And whoever was unable to get out of them." He looked at me. "You live up there right? I'm terribly sorry for what you must have lost."

I shrugged and smiled. "Well hey, houses are replaceable. Especially now that I can afford the big one that my wife deserves. Speaking of... I said I would be back as soon as possible. We have to run, old-timer. See you around." I jogged down the street with Brian in tow. "I didn't really think about it at first, but now I can actually stop fussing about where to put the nursery. Forget about surprising Pepper with one extra room, now we can have three!" I looked at him while we walked. "The possibilities are huge!" I stopped talking when I noticed his expression. "What's up?"

"Don't you see what happened?"

I slowed down. "What do you mean?"

"Bruce came and asked for help with a real problem. And that problem _actually_ happened. Now there are consequences." He sighed. "Are you really sure you dodged this bullet Chestnut? I've got a bad feeling."

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, the girls are at the Dilo, and if it's not _our_ problem then it's not _our_ responsibility." I patted him reassuringly. "Let's not go frowning on an otherwise good day, alright?"

Brian nodded, but didn't seem convinced.

I sighed. "The Dilo's right here, let's just have a few drinks and talk about what we can do with all this money." I pushed open the door and waved at Ellen who was wiping down the bar. "Hey, old bat! I can finally pay my tab!"

Ellen actually jumped in surprise. "Oh, hello boys." She squinted in disapproval. "Don't call me 'old bat.' Didn't you see the sign? We're closed already."

I glanced around the bar and noticed it was completely empty. I leaned back outside and looked at the closed sign hanging next to the door. "Huh... I guess I missed that." I swung my head back inside. "But I'm sure you can make an exception for us, especially when we can afford to tip extra!"

She looked at Brian. "If you're gonna pitch a scam again, you can walk right out that door."

Brian held up his hands innocently. "Oh it's all him. This guy's gone and picked up a black pearl."

Ellen raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well then maybe you can finally treat my server to something worthwhile." She waved us over. "One drink. That's all."

I clapped my hands together. "Now that's what I'm talking about." We sat down as she poured a golden liquid into two glasses. I picked one up to moment it was full and downed a large gulp. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and put the cup down. "See Brian? It _is_ a good day."

Brian smiled and took a sip from his drink. "Maybe you're right. I'm probably just worrying over nothing." He glanced around the bar. "Say, why'd you close up shop anyway? Isn't it dinnertime?"

"Bruce and his buffoons came running through here. Saying something about something big heading to this part of town and he wanted to evacuate everyone."

My eyebrows shot up. "If you were told to evacuate then why didn't you leave? What if some big carnivore comes by and trashes the Dilo?"

She pulled a spoon out of a drawer and smacked it against her hand. Brian and I instinctively sat up straighter. "It can try." She set the spoon down and continued to wipe off the counter. "I never trusted that brute. To me it just seemed like a big hoax that I would lose business over. Needless to say I kicked him out and stayed open. Unfortunately most everyone didn't want to call his bluff and cleared out. With business so slow, I decided to close up early anyway." She gestured around to the silent bar. "Now look, I've lost half a days-worth of business and nothing even happened today."

I opened my mouth to correct her before I looked around again, really noticing how quiet the tavern was. Really quiet. So much so that you couldn't hear anything outside. The walls of the Dilo were built exceptionally thick in order to soundproof them so that the entire street wouldn't complain about the rowdy late nights in the tavern. In such a building, it's no wonder Ellen didn't hear anything going on across the bay. A bad feeling slowly crept its way up my spine. "So uh... I can't wait to see the look on Pep's face when she sees the little gem I found. Where are the girls?"

Ellen scoffed. "Where do you think? We're closed. Georgia's upstairs with Matthew like usual-"

"And Pepper?" I grip tensed on the glass as my voice reached a worried tone.

Ellen gave me a look for interrupting, but continued. "And I sent Pepper home early. Why?"

My heart stopped. "How long ago?"

"Geeze boy, what's gotten you-"

"HOW LONG AGO?!"

Ellen flinched. "... Just a little bit after you two left. Chester-" I bolted from my seat, knocking both chair and glass over. The mug shattered against the floor as I slammed my way through the swinging door. Ellen tried to call after me, but I didn't hear her. I didn't care.

I need to get home. I need her to not be there. I need her be anywhere else.

I need her to be ok.

My feet pounded against the compacted sand of the street as I sprinted around the bay. It'll be fine. _She'll_ be fine.

Right?

* * *

I stepped around broken pieces of wood as I ran through the trashed neighborhood. I weaved in and out of people trying to sort through the wreckages and help the wounded. People were sobbing and holding each other. Some even cried out for help. I ignored them. They didn't matter. All that mattered was her.

I rounded the curve of the bay it see my house. The front was intact, and it seemed to be about where the destruction stopped. My heart skipped as I was filled with hope. I ran up and pushed open the door and ran into the kitchen.

"Pepper!? Pepper where are-" I turned and looked at the open bedroom door. Light shone through the opening now that the door was smashed clear off its hinges. "... you?" I walked into the room slowly. I guess I should say I walked outside. A room needs walls to be called a room. The entire bedroom had been smashed into from the outside, collapsing this half of the house. It didn't make sense. All the food was in the kitchen, there's no reason to smash an empty room unless-

No. "Pepper?"

It wasn't true. I dug into the debris, tossing away as much as I could. "Pepper where are you?"

She was safe. There's no way she would have been caught in the house. I lifted and tossed aside the remains of our dresser, scattering the clothes across the beach. "C'mon Pep. I promised I'd be back and here I am. Where are YOU!?"

Maybe she went down to the shops. Yeah that was it. I said I would treat her later on he way home so she probably waited there for us to come back. We must have walked past her. I grabbed the last section of wall that had collapsed on the bed and heaved. "Pep stop messing around. If you're here I'd very much appreciate it if you tell me. WHERE. YOU. ARE!" I braced myself against the massive chunk of wood and turned it over, pushing it out side. I turned back and saw...

... an empty bed.

I fell to my hands and knees in relief and cried. She wasn't here. "Oh thank god she isn't here." I raised my hand to wipe my eyes, then flinched when my hands were already wet. "What-" I froze seeing the red on my hand. I looked down to see I was kneeling in a streak of blood. I recoiled backwards and landed on my ass. I looked at my arms. I hadn't cut myself while digging; at least, not badly enough to leave _that_ much blood.

It was someone else's.

Oh god no. She wouldn't be... she _couldn't_ be...

I slowly lowered myself to look under the bed. It was empty, apart from the blood. But the floorboards were scratched up. Five parallel lines over and over again. Like nails trying to grip the flat surface. I looked around frantically for whoever or whatever left this. My voice began to break with panic. "It-it wasn't her. She isn't here. S-She can't be."

"You're right." I jumped at the voice behind me. Bruce stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets. The look on his face was a mixture of pity and disappointment. "She isn't _here_." He nodded his head to indicate something outside. I followed his gaze until I saw a trail of large footprints in the sand. And blood.

I stood up slowly and walked over the debris. The trail led up into the tree line just outside of town. I kept my eyes on it as I walked forward. I didn't know what I was expecting to find. The body of some poor person who tried to hide in my house? I mean, it wouldn't be _her_ , right? She was fine and waiting for me to come for her, like she always was. It wouldn't be her. It _couldn't_ be her.

And yet...

I followed it until my eyes landed on a patch of red amidst he bushes. Not the red of blood, but a more familiar shade. A vibrant orange like that of the sunset. One that paired beautifully eyes the color of the ocean. Her hair spread out wildly across the grass as she lay there facedown. My voice was so broken I could barely hear myself. "P...Pep?" My legs continued walking, but I didn't want to go further. My eyes stayed locked on her broken frame, but I didn't want to see it. "S-Sweetheart?" I walked around the bush to see all of her, then fell to my knees next to her when I realized I would never see all of her again. The lower half of her body was a mess of bloody ribbons, leaving nothing recognizable from the waist down. Her server uniform was stained a deep scarlet as it soaked up the puddle around her. My stomach flipped and I turned around and puked into the bushes. I heaved until nothing else would come out. I wiped my mouth and moved back next to her, sitting on my knees. I slowly turned her around, laying her head in my lap. I brushed the hair out of her face to find it without a scratch. She looked calm, like she was asleep. The only thing that betrayed her beauty were wet trails from her eyes where she had been crying. I wiped the blemishes away with my thumb. "Now girl, don't go shedding a tear. Someone as pretty as you shouldn't need to cry." A drop hit her cheek and I wiped it away again. The tears were coming from me. "Sorry, Pep. I know you hate to see me cry, but..." I couldn't finish. I curled up and sobs wracked my frame as I cradled my wife in my arms. I held her tight, tighter than I ever have, painfully aware that I would never hold her again. And I cried. I cried more than I've ever cried in my entire life. I cried until my eyes hurt and my throat was raw. When I looked up night had fallen. A layer of clouds had collected over Bedrock. It was a cold sky. An empty one. Not a star to be seen. And I hated it. Whatever higher power up there deserved to see this. Deserved to see the pain I was in. I tried to cry more, but couldn't. By body wouldn't let me. I held her closer, trying to ignore how cold she felt. "I'm sorry Pepper. I'm so, so sorry. I promised. I promised we'd always be together. I promised I'd always be there. And I... I..." No tears would come out, but the pain was still there. So I screamed. I screamed in anger, in pain, and in sadness. But no matter how much I tried, the hole in my heart wouldn't stop growing. When I stopped, I gently placed her back on the ground and folded her hands on her chest, trying to position her as peacefully as I could. I stood up carefully, unsure of what to do.

"I know it's not the best time, but..." I didn't have the energy left to be startled. I slowly turned to Bruce. He stared at me for a moment before continuing. "This might not be the only attack. More may come."

"... What are you saying?"

"I'm saying. This might happen again. To other people. Unless we stop it."

"Chester, we need your help."

I paused, considering what I still had to lose.

Absolutely nothing.

I took a deep breath. "What would you have me do?"

* * *

Present Day  
Bedrock Bay

* * *

I pushed open the door to my house. The same wave of booze and spoiled food hit me like it does every time, but it stung worse than usual. "Dumb old bitch. How would you know what she would have wanted?" I tossed my hat on the table, knocking over several bottles. I picked one up and flipped it upside down, checking for any lingering drops. My patience waned and I threw the empty bottle out a widow, shattering it against a tree. I leaned on the counter and looked out through the window. A smell rose from the sink below me and I glanced down at the pile of dirty dishes. I picked through them, debating whether or not to clean any. "What's the point? It's not like I'm expecting anyone." I picked up a wooden spoon that I must have picked up outside of the bar. I twirled it around, trying to figure out how Ellen was so deadly with them. A rustle came from outside and I froze, listening. I tightened my grip on the spoon, ready to deal with the intruder. A slight disturbance in the air was my only warning. I whipped the spoon up in front of my face to brace a large beak from biting down. My eyes met with those of the large, tan bird. "Gotta be a quicker draw than that, Hermes."

The bird cawed and flicked its head around, dislodging the spoon from its mouth. It snapped again, trying to grab my hat, forcing me to lean back. Ever since Hermes was large enough to take it, he's been trying to steal my hat. One day on the way home from the market, an egg hatched in my bag. For a lack of a better idea, I plopped the little fuzzball in my hat and raised him in it like a nest. He's been a lovable scumbag ever since. Still, I guess my hat would be comparable to a teddy bear for him. I took off my hat, flicking it onto a hook across the room. Hermes grunted in disappointment while I stared at the casual achievement of perfectly landing a target. Even after all this time, I never lost my aim, despite it falling out of practice. With my income from the Hunters, I had no reason to go fishing. Not that I'd want to. The water was too blue now. It reminded me too much of...

A gentle coo stopped my train of thought as Hermes nudged the back of my head. I chuckled and turned to face my feathered companion, running my hand through his feathers. "Yeah, sorry Hermes. That's a bad way to think, I know." I reached down the counter with my free hand and opened a jar of kibble, pulling out a piece. Hermes' eyes locked on the treat as I waved it back and forth. With a flick of my wrist, I tossed the treat out the window and down the hill with the bird in hot pursuit. I sighed and absentmindedly toyed with my necklace. The black pearl centerpiece glistened softly in the light from the window. "Maybe its about time I checked up on her anyway..."

* * *

I stood in front of the stone on the hill for a while, letting my thoughts collect. Finally I opened my mouth. "Hey Pepper, it's me. I know it's been a while..." I looked at the carving for a moment. The local mason carved her likeness into a stone to act as a memorial. He tried his best, but he could never capture her beauty. "Fish Fest is coming up again, as you probably know." I worked the necklace through my fingers as I tried to think of things to say. "It's attracted all sorts of characters from all around... like usual." I grimaced at how awkward I sounded. "There was this one guy I met today at the Dilo. Real funny. He knew his way around puns." I chuckled a bit. "Do you remember what I said to you? On the day I asked you out? I had worked on this really sappy pickup line for at least a week. Do you remember what it was?" I was painfully aware of how quiet it was. "I said 'Knock Knock.' And then you looked at me like I was stupid, but you played along and said 'Who's there?' So me having my luck messed up the line and said 'Flowers,' almost giving it away. You raised an eyebrow and said 'Flowers who?' I pulled out that bouquet of blue flowers from the mountain and said 'Flower you today, sweetheart?' And you blushed hard enough to match a tinto berry. Remember that?" A light breeze shook the grass around the hill. I sighed. "Well, I found some of those at the shop yesterday, thought you might like them." I pulled out a small bunch of blue flowers and gently leaned them against the stone alongside plenty of wilting plants left from my other visits.

"I'm no psychologist, but I'm pretty sure that's unhealthy."

I flinched at the all-too-familiar voice. "Like you would know anything about health."

He held up his hands in defense. His body jiggled with every movement he made. "I'm just saying, talking to yourself is a good sign of being crazy. I can't have the Hunter's poster boy going nuts on me." He shrugged. "After all, I really can't afford for something else to go wrong this week, what with Brian bailing out on me. Something about 'Matthew needing extra help with bullies and wanting to spend the week with his wife.' Personally I just see a bunch of distractions and weights. That's all families are, really; just excuses to be held down. In my opinion-" he stopped when he noticed the daggers I was staring into him. "What? Oh! I wasn't talking about _her_. I don't know why you're all worked up. You didn't have to go through the stress of managing a family. You know I only mean the best for you, don't you Chester?"

"And _you_ know that sometimes I feel like breaking that fat jaw of yours." I took a deep breath. "What do you want, Bruce?"

He frowned and used a fat finger to pick something out of his teeth. The fat bastard was always eating something. He could _afford_ to. "I need you to fill in for Brian in Fish Fest this year."

"No."

He blinked. "No? What do you mean 'no?'"

"I mean no." I glanced at the stone below me. "This festival gets no love from me."

He actually smiled. Whether he was amused or trying to reassure me, it only succeeded in rubbing me the wrong way. "Now now, don't be like that. We've been working in the woods it wrangle up a few more mounts to help us with the... culling, so to speak." He took a few steps towards me. "But we need a lot more bait for the traps and taming. That's where you come in." He wrapped a thick arm around my shoulders. "You win us Fish Fest, we get the meat, we protect to town." We gestured to the grave below us. "You wouldn't want us to be caught _unprepared_ , would you?"

I sighed and shoved his arm off of me, pushing him away. "... fine."

He put a hand on his ear. "What was that?"

I turned to him. "I'll do it. Happy?"

A grin split across his face. "That's a good boy." He turned and walked back towards town. "Make sure you get a good night's sleep. You might not have to worry about losing, but you still need to put on a good show!"

I frowned at what he implied. Every year someone from the Hunters entered Fish Fest's events, the rest of the group pulled something shady to make sure they won. It was underhanded and cruel, but necessary. If we needed resources, then we would get them so we could protect this town. A necessary evil for a greater good. I knelt down and traced my hand across the details of the stone. "I may have failed to protect you, but I will not fail to protect this town."

"I promise."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **HOLY MOLY THAT WORD COUNT IS IN THE QUINTUPLE DIGITS! I originally estimated that this chapter would stop at 10,000 words. But it just kept going... Forget mourning Pepper, let's all have a moment of silence for my hands.**

 **Edit: I told you to split it into 2 chapters, but noooooo. You just couldn't bring yourself to write in a stopping point, could you?**

 **Oh sush it's still a good chapter. And I feel bad every time it takes me more than a week to post one so I like to push the content that they have through the roof. I actually deleted the file and had to scramble around my histories to find an intact copy which is why this one took a bit longer.**

 **Anyway, meet Chester! The local sailor/cowboy/drunk! This is the first flashback I've put in and also the first perspective shift. I don't think these kinds of chapters will happen often because Francis is and will remain the protagonist of our story. I think I'll just do a quick perspective shift whenever I introduce a new main character that I want to build background for. I tried to give a lot of background into the feel of Bedrock and the feel of the world in general.**

 **Speaking of the feel of the world...**

 **I'm pretty sure trigger warnings will happen at the start of chapters that I feel need them. This was probably the most violent chapter so far, and I felt that a warning needed to happen. So I'm going to get something off my chest right now that I may or may not get in trouble for: this story is still rated T. Because of fanfiction's filter system, M-rated stories are not shown unless the viewers manually adjust the filter to include M-rated stories. I'm going to keep the story rated T so that people can discover it, but I will make sure to put early warnings at the starts of chapters when things are going to get dark. And let's face it guys...**

 **It's a story about being trapped on an island full of dinosaurs. It's not gonna be sunshine and rainbows.**

 **Edit: is that why you introduced and adorable love interest only to kill her off in the same chapter?**

 **Of course. What? Did you think anyone was allowed to be _happy_ in my story? Pfft.**

 **But that aside, I hope this was worth the wait. Plz don't sue me for my rating. I still love you guys. And let me know what you think of the chapter and if perspective shifts are things I should do more.**

 **As always, you've been a great audience. Try to have a good laugh today.**

 **-TheSurvivingComedian**


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